The Secret Life of a Major General
by A Karswyll
Summary: Loki's unethical experimentations didn't just include cloning of humans. One such experiment is about to thrust Jack O'Neill's life even deeper into secrecy. 2011 GateFic Awards nominee.
1. Story Info

**Title**: The Secret Life of a Major General

**Author**: A. Karswyll

**Summary**: Loki's unethical experimentations didn't just include cloning of humans. One such experiment is about to thrust Jack O'Neill's life even deeper into secrecy.

**Rating**: M – Contains context suitable for mature teens and older. Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with strong adult themes, references to violence, and minor coarse language.

**Season**: Season 8 **Spoilers**: 5.22 _Revelations_, 7.03 _Fragile Balance_, 7.13 _Grace_, 7.15 _Chimera_, 8.01-8.02 _New Order_, 8.07 _Affinity_, 8.14 _Full Alert_, 8.16-8.17 _Reckoning_, and 8.18 _Threads_.

**Pairings**: Samantha Carter/Pete Shanahan, Jack O'Neill/Kerry Johnson, Jack O'Neill/Samantha Carter

**Genre**: Adventure, General, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction

**Category**: Angst, Divergence, Drama, Human Relations

**Content Warnings**: Adult Themes, Kidnapping, Language, Sex, Sexual Situations, Violence

**Characters**: AF Maj Altman, NID Agt. Malcolm Barrett, CIA Agt. Burke, Mark Carter, Jacob Carter/Selmak, AF Lt Col Samantha Carter, Trust Agt. Devon, AF Col David Dixon, AF Lt Gen George Hammond, AF Maj Hadden, USA Pres. Henry Hayes, Hel, Dr Daniel Jackson PhD, CIA Agt. Kerry Johnson, CSAF Gen John Jumper, Robert Kinsey/Oceanus, Dr Caroline Lam MD, AF Maj Gen Hank Landry, AF Col Thomas J. Masiello, Charlotte Mayfield/Athena, AF Brig Gen Jack O'Neill, Jonas Quinn, AF Col Reynolds, Det. Pete Shanahan, Teal'c, Asgärd Supreme Com Thor, and Trust Agt. Weaver.

**Challenge**: Jack's Secret Life Challenge by SJ Shipper Forever.

**Author's Note**: The inspiration for this comes of course from SJ Shipper Forever's challenge. In order not to spoil the whole story, the challenge summary will be included at the end of the last chapter for those interested in knowing the challenge requirements.

**Credits**: I would like to acknowledge my fabulous beta fems—I am very grateful that we started conversing and say a big, HUGE thank-you. Fems, I have this to say especially in regards to chapters fourteen and twenty-nine: _Ask and it will be given to you_, Luke 11:9.

I am dedicating this story to "SJ Shipper Forever"—whoever you may be, and where ever you are—because without your challenge this would not have been written.

Research credits include _English-Old Norse Dictionary_ compiled by Ross G, Arthur; _Who's Who in Classical Mythology _by Michael Grant and John Hazel; _Stragate SG-1: the Ultimate Visual Guide _by Kathleen Ritter; www. dreamlandrestort. com; www. hieroglyphs. net; maps. google. com; www. stargate-sg1-solutions. com; www. gateworld. net; www. monaco-alexandri. com; www. pantheon. org; www. rdanderson stargate/stargate. htm; and www. wikipedia. org.

**Feedback**: I love hearing your thoughts, questions, and criticisms.

**Disclaimer**: This is a work of fiction. Recognisable terms, characters, places, and incidents are the property of their copyright franchise or creators and are used without permission. Certain real events, locations, and public figures are included to make the story more vivid, but they are used fictitiously. Original names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The text contained within may not be reproduced in whole or in part or distributed in any form whatsoever without first obtaining permission from the author. This text may not be SOLD under any circumstances.

**Complete**: Yes **Date**: 6-May-2010 **Word Count**: 59,236


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Bridge of the **_**Daniel Jackson**_**, Planet Flærð, Ida Galaxy  
Mörsugur 13.75 ±0.17 Bn**

Monitoring the _Daniel Jackson_'s descent through the atmosphere of the planet called Flærð by his people; Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgärd Fleet listened with half an ear to the ship's computer's verbal reciting of Loki's finally decoded work. It had almost been two _árs_ since Loki's deceptions had been discovered with his unwise cloning of O'Neill and even longer to break the cipher the genetic scientist had coded all his research in.

In the end it had been Loki's own wife Sigyn who had broken the code. Loki thought himself unfailingly clever, but even the most clever and secretive of men forgot that much could not be long concealed from a truly observant wife. Especially one determined to make restitution for the crimes of her husband.

Atmospheric entry completed the _Daniel Jackson_ was soon speeding over the planet's largest land mass towards a northern mountain range. Hidden underground within those mountains was one of the many research outposts that Loki had constructed throughout the Ida Galaxy.

The ship's sensors blipped. They were being hailed by the security system Loki had implemented. If he did not respond with the correct deactivation code the research post would self-destruct. The outcome of all of the Council's accidental discoveries of such stations.

Easily retrieving the necessary code from Loki's notes he entered the correct string of characters and soon the ship was receiving a data stream about the outpost's condition and status of experiments. As it had been two _árs_ since Loki's last visit the experiments were in dismal condition. Well over half had already expired and the rest were in danger of expiring if not treated instantly.

That was not what had Thor cursing under his breath, but the nature of the experiments. Dead and half dead in the artificial chambers that had sustained their existence were over five hundred fertilized human gametes in various stages of development.

His spindly fingers tapped over the computer console in front of him, sending out a command for a Niflheim-class ship to change course to Flærð. His ship was of the Jackson-class, an exploratory and science vessel, which did not have the resources to treat the sheer number of experiments requiring treatment. The Niflheim-class however was essentially his people's 'lifeboat' vessels, capable of carrying millions of asgärd minds and thousands of asgärd bodies. Its medical supplies were more than adequate to treat, and perhaps save, the roughly two hundred experiments that were at the moment still viable.

Turning his attention from the fate of the experiments, Thor directed his attention to retrieving and understanding the outpost's research data. Maybe it would give him an idea why Loki had conducted such atrocious experiments upon a species the Asgärd were determined to protect.

. . .

Thor gazed through the window of the bridge up at the ship that hovered over his own over Loki's outpost and outside the planetary atmosphere. While even the _Daniel Jackson_ by Asgärd standards was small, the other was a massive construction dwarfing all other Asgärd vessels and was too large to enter the atmosphere of Flærð without greatly disturbing the planet's weather patterns and ecosystems.

It had been two _dagrs _since the Niflheim-class flagship _Niflheim_ itself had answered his summons and begun the task of retrieving all experiment subjects. The bulk of the _Niflheim _crew had focused their attention on the still viable subjects, but they were also examining and cataloguing those that had expired.

The _Daniel Jackson_ indicated an incoming communiqué from the _Niflheim_ and as he accepted the call, the _Niflheim_'s commander appeared on the screen of his console.

"The status of the subjects?" Thor inquired.

"Of five hundred twenty test subjects only thirty-six survived. They are now in serious but stable condition and should be able to leave the medical chambers in four _vikas_ time."

"The thirty-six viable subjects are?"

"I shall transfer the relevant data. While most subjects that survived are from experiments carried out by the station's automated systems six _mánðar_ ago, two that were carried out by Loki personally—shortly before his imprisonment—survived as well."

Thor switched his attention to the data streaming across his screen. Tagging and matching the subject reference number with the relevant research.

"All other experiments expired due to the station not being equipped to carry out and perform its tasks over such a long period of time?" Thor asked, reading about the condition of the chambers that the fertilized gametes had been developing in.

"Yes Supreme Commander, the station was operating as of two _mánðar_ ago on emergency power. Do you wish for us to recharge the station?"

"No. Dismantle the outpost." Thor ordered as he continued to read about the thirty-six surviving subjects.

"Yes Supreme Commander."

Thor stabbed a finger at a console as his button eyes fixated on the words, or more precisely names, identified as the origins of Subject 40932 gametes.

"Subject 40932…"

"Is one of the ones personally fertilized by Loki. I would advise reading the data of Subject 29206 as well." Even as the _Niflheim_'s commander spoke, the relevant record appeared on Thor's screen next to Subject 40932's data.

Thor's eyes flicked between the profiles of the two subjects. Focusing on the origins of the gametes but also paying attention to the genetic manipulation preformed by Loki before fertilizing the gametes.

"Are these the only two originating from these individuals?"

"Records show that previous subjects with the same parent gametes were created and terminated but these are the most recent ones."

"How many?" Thor demanded.

"Forty-three. All subjects were terminated shortly after germination. Records show that 40932 and 29206 are the cumulative results of the previous experiments."

Thor nearly snarled at hearing the dispassionate answer from _Niflheim_'s commander but his anger was towards Loki. "The other surviving subjects also have similar histories?"

"Correct. Only eight of the five hundred twenty are created from recently acquired gametes. And Supreme Commander, I believe you should read the results of the examination my crew preformed on 40932 and 29206."

Thor looked levelly at _Niflheim_'s commander; then inclined his head as he reached towards the _Daniel Jackson_'s console. "I will speak with you again in a _dagr_. I must assimilate this information before making my report to the Council and they in turn will have much to think about before any actions are taken."

"Of course Supreme Commander Thor," the other asgärd responded with a bow of the head before the communication screen went blank.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**O'Neill's Residence, Colorado Springs, CO, Planet Earth, Milky Way Galaxy  
January 15, 2005  
Late Evening**

Whistling tunelessly between his teeth, Jack O'Neill rinsed the last of his supper dishes and placed it in the drying rack when a brilliant white light flared around him. Blinking to clear his vision, he expected to find himself on the bridge of a ship and instead found a grey asgärd standing in his kitchen.

"Thor!" Jack exclaimed as he recognized his alien visitor. "Carter said you'd drop by for a visit. How's the new body working?"

"It is working well O'Neill." Thor responded. "Once again you have our thanks and congratulations for exterminating the replicators."

"Yeah well that was mostly Carter and Jacob and probably Daniel." Jack said with a dismissing shrug of his shoulders as he pulled the plug in the sink to drain the water. After wiping his wet hands on a towel, he gestured towards the asgärd. "What can I do for you?"

"There is a situation that requires your assistance."

"Mine? Sure Carter's mind wouldn't be better?" Jack asked curiously.

"No O'Neill. It is you the Council must ask."

"Me?" he asked in surprised, not liking the ominous indication that it was not Thor going to ask him something but the Asgärd High Council.

"Correct. If we could be seated. There is much I must tell you of before any decisions are made." Thor turned about and headed for the living room and the coffee table, which was the perfect height for the asgärd.

Following behind the grey alien who seated himself on the floor, Jack took the other side of the coffee table and folded his longer limbed body into a sitting position on the floor as well. Once they were both seated, Thor placed four pearl-coloured stones in the shape of a square in the center of the table.

Jack recognized the stones and shape, knowing that it was essentially a holographic screen and keyboard that accessed the computers of whatever Asgärd ship was in orbit. Once the screens were activated Thor beamed down a clipboard sized and shaped pearl-coloured board that was about a centimetre thick and pushed it towards his human companion.

Jack accepted the Asgärd equivalent of a touch-screen tablet computer as he had been given them to read various Asgärd reports before. The information of which was only stored in his mind and with the Asgärd.

"This begins O'Neill nearly two Earth years ago with Loki," Thor began his debriefing and keyed the holographic computer to respond with visuals and audio when cued. The written information already uploaded to the computer in O'Neill's hands.

. . .

Jack's knuckles were white where they gripped the edge of the coffee table. He had listened, forcing himself to interrupt Thor only for clarification or examine the relevant data himself, as the Asgärd reported on Loki's experiments and how only recently had the Council been able to locate all of the renegade scientist's outposts and what experiments he had conducted.

"You mean to tell me he was making children?" Jack finally demanded.

"Correct O'Neill. Currently only thirty-six of the subjects are viable. However the Council would like for us to inquire with you what decision should be made regarding two of the subjects."

"What two subjects?"

Thor tapped a holographic key and the holographic form of two children not quite two years old yet appeared above the coffee table. It was their faces that caused the blood to drain from Jack's face. An all too familiar face that crowded the few photo albums in his possession.

"I wish for you to read the profiles of them please," Thor said gently as he indicated the computer board with a finger.

Tearing his eyes from the holographic face Jack turned his attention to the flat computer he'd set on the table about an hour into the debriefing. Bracing himself, he read the reports on the two children twice.

"What is it you want me to do?" Jack asked hoarsely after several long moments. His mind in turmoil over what he had just read.

"The council would like to know if you wish for us to terminate the subjects—"

"Terminate? How could you even—" Jack cut himself off and took several huffing breaths in an attempt to calm himself.

Thor waited patiently and after calculating enough time had passed, continued. "Terminate or be taken and reared by yourself or Colonel Carter."

Jack looked at the two holographic children again. This could not be a decision he could make on his own, they were both theirs, so Carter… just the thought, his and Carter's…

"_What about kids?"_

"_What about 'em?"_

"_Do I take maternity leave and then come back? Do I drop the baby off at daycare on my way to some unexplored planet on the edge of the Crab Nebula?"_

The conversation and Carter's derisive words cut through his mind. No. Carter did not want children so she would not want them. That revelation—as well as her impending engagement—during that discussion had been painful enough. But now this gut wrenching decision was his. To do the unthinkable and choose to kill more of his children or do the equally unthinkable and terrifying task of raising them.

He had failed Charlie in the worst way possible. What was stopping him from failing these two in the same way?

. . .

"Well?" issued from the communication screen onboard the _Daniel Jackson_ in Earth orbit.

"O'Neill is still deciding," Thor responded quietly having left the human in question on Earth roughly an hour ago after the dilemma stricken man had asked for solitude to contemplate the choice he was to make. "He will contact me once he has made his decision."

"Very well, the Council will await your next communication," the Council representative responded before ending the communication and his corner of the split-screen went dark. The other side of the screen still showed the dark face of _Niflheim_'s commander.

"What choice do you believe the human will make Supreme Commander?"

"I do not know," Thor responded honestly. "If the two subjects were not his offspring I know what his answer would be, but because they were created from his and Colonel Carter's gametes his choice is unknown."

"But I thought you said there was a rapport between the two humans?" came the inquiry.

"I have observed one—" the discussion was interrupted by a signal from the computer he had left with O'Neill. Accepting the call, the human's drawn and haggard face appeared on the screen before him.

"You have come to a decision O'Neill?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Bridge of the _Daniel Jackson_, Earth Orbit  
January 15, 2005  
Late Evening**

"Yes," Jack's voice was ragged, but the conviction was strong. He had come to a decision regarding the fate of the two children created by Loki's experiment. "I will adopt them."

"Very well. I will file your decision with the Council. Do you wish for me to inform Colonel Carter now?" Thor asked, his fingers already moving to the necessary keys on the console before him.

"No. She doesn't want children." Jack's eyes hardened. "I'll be adopting them myself."

Thor blinked at the revelation. He had not known that Colonel Carter did not wish for offspring of her own. "That shall also be noted in the files."

"There are problems though," Jack began. "I'm worried about the children's safety, especially if it becomes known that they were created by Loki and are the very 'missing link' the scientist was looking for."

"As well as being offspring of yourself and Colonel Carter?" Thor inquired.

"Among others," Jack agreed shortly.

"Then you will need to create a fabricated story to conceal the subjects' heritage for the subjects like was done with your clone?"

"Yes. But I don't want the AF involved in anyway."

Thor inclined his head in understanding. If the Air Force created the background for the subjects, then anyone with connections to the Air Force could discover the truth behind the information.

"Plus the situation has to be… natural enough that I would become the guardian of two toddlers." Jack continued as his mind shifted through various scenarios and the sheer task of falsifying all the documentations that would be necessary. Without involving the US government.

"How do you propose this is done?"

"I can get some work done by people I know who owe me favours—basic ones like birth and death certificates." It was the safest way to create such identities and backgrounds and circumvent various security measures. With a false birth certificate submitted for things later on like driver's license and bank accounts the preceding documents would be 'genuine fakes,' that is, genuine documents issued under false pretences. What would also assist would be the age and thus memory of the children themselves. "But I'll want you to modify government records as well. If I spread it around there shouldn't be any connection made."

"And what fabricated story shall you create?"

"They're my recently orphaned niece and nephew." Jack responded surprisingly, his eyes distant as he remembered something from his past. "I had a sister. She died in a car crash."

Thor absorbed the curtly worded information. "Then the subjects will be her offspring?"

"Yes," Jack responded looking irritated. "Do the children have names?"

"Subject 40932 and Subject 29206—"

"No, do they have names Thor?"

"The subjects do not O'Neill."

"They're not subjects," Jack muttered curtly as he shifted through more strategies in his head.

"I call them Lífthrasier and Líf," the _Niflheim_'s commander who had been listened to the conversation between the two interjected.

Jack blinked, momentarily sidetracked by the unknown asgärd's voice. Thor reached forward and adjusting a console stone, activated the split-screen for O'Neill to allow the human to see both his face and that of the other asgärd.

"Pardon my interruption O'Neill I am Commander Hel of the _Niflheim_. It is upon my ship that Lífthrasier and Líf are recovering."

"Lífthrasier and Líf?" Jack asked.

"They are suitable names for the future saviours of my people."

Jack scowled at the reminder. "You sure about that?"

"My calculations have predicted a ninety-seven percent chance of that upon their sexual maturity," Hel responded.

"And then what?" Jack demanded.

"We shall require a biometric scan as well as blood and bone marrow samples. Other than that, nothing will be required of them." Hel concluded.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the _Niflheim_ commander but said no more to the other asgärd as he turned his attention back to Thor and began to describe in greater depth the background for the two children.

His sister, Julie O'Neill, had died thirty years ago in a fatal car accident that had claimed her life, that of her boyfriend Kenneth Mayer, and the intoxicated driver of their vehicle.

In order to place credit in the story of the two children being the children of Julie and Kenneth Mayer, there needed to be tax records and other such documentation for them that would stand up to the scrutiny of even the Trust. A majority of the 'backlog' information would be inserted into government databanks by the Asgärd and the rest by various people Jack got involved.

Some things he knew were already covered; the archives of the local newspaper that had run the crash story and obituaries in his hometown had a waterline break that had destroyed the relevant records thirteen years ago.

Kenneth's father, the only surviving member of the Mayer family, had moved away after the crash to New York, which is where Julie and Kenneth Mayer would work, live, and die. The fact that Kenneth Mayer was actually 'Junior' meant that it would be relatively easy to duplicate the property information and such for Mayer Senior. A double bonus was that when the Asgärd searched for Mayer Senior's current location they discovered he had recently been moved into a care home suffering from severe Alzheimer's.

Two years ago, Julie Mayer had given birth to twins Tyler and Emily Mayer. The record of the birth would be inserted into a New York City hospital records and the two names were simply selected from a list of popular baby names for 2003—the 'year' of their birth—so that there would be nothing that would arouse suspicion.

His guardianship of the children would rouse enough curiosity as it was for those that kept a close eye on StarGate Command and by extension himself. His military files listed his parents as deceased but his sister had never been on his dossier except in the earliest years and dropped entirely with her death; he could explain away the absence by simple estrangement. There would be no guardianship written out in the Mayer will, as such the state would revert the Mayer children to him being the closest relation available to provide childcare.

So the cover story was finalised: within the past week Julie and Kenneth Mayer had been in a fatal single vehicle car accident. The only survivors, two-year-old Tyler and Emily Mayer, who were so traumatised they had yet to begin speaking again—as the children themselves could not speak yet.

Thor assured him however, that the Asgärd would do a minor procedure that would allow the children to begin speaking at a normal age level for humans shortly after being placed in his care. Otherwise, there might be some interest in their delayed development due to the fact that in reality, their first two years of life had been restricted to Loki's sustaining chambers with no mental simulation.

Learning from Hel that it would be a minimum of six weeks before the children could be released from the _Niflheim_ infirmary, Jack was given more time than he expected to establish the children's background and begin the process of integrating them into his life. Beyond the falsification of necessary paperwork after all was informing his chain of command that he was about to become a father again.

George Hammond would be the toughest sell but President Hayes would not be too far behind. As for his team… Jack sighed as he ended the intergalactic conference call between himself and the Asgärd High Council. He would cross that bridge later.

Knowing the Asgärd computers on Thor's orbiting ship were already inserting the necessary information into government databases, he reached for the phone to begin his first phone call.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Master Bedroom, O'Neill's Residence, Colorado Springs, CO  
February 8, 2005  
Morning**

The ringing of the phone roused Jack from sleep after a rather intense night of debauchery. Groping blindly, first on top the bedside table, and then the floor beside the bed he finally managed to locate the cordless phone lying on the rug. Picking it up he fumbled for the on button before bringing the phone to his ear and still half asleep grunted, "What?"

Even the fact that it was Carter on the other end did not really wake him up much, or her news that Teal'c had returned to Earth reporting a 'problem.' Which in Jaffa speak probably translated as 'impending doom of the universe.'

Mumbling an affirmative response he switched the phone off, ending the call and let the device drop carelessly back onto the floor beside the bed. Quietly voicing a mild expletive, he heaved himself to a sitting position on the mattress and his movement roused his bed partner.

"What was that?" the curly headed brunette occupying the other side of his bed inquired sleepily. She stretched up against him, her body inviting his touch as his hand settled tenderly on her head.

Kerry made a pretty, but strange picture, on his bed and underneath his sheets—strange in that it had been years since a woman had slept in his bed. He did not acknowledge in his own mind that it was more that—even now—his eyes expected to see short, straight blond hair with blue eyes and not long, curly brown hair with brown eyes.

"Trouble in Jaffa-land," his simple response invoked a groan from the CIA agent. "Gotta go."

Kerry nodded her understanding of his duty as Jack slid his hand from the top of her head to affectionately cup the side of her face.

"Sorry," he apologized as he leaned down and his lips settled on Kerry's own. The woman beneath his mouth responded fully even knowing that it would go no further. Gently Jack broke the kiss and rising from the bed, departed the bedroom for the bathroom.

Kerry watched his retreating backside with a wistful look.

. . .

In his office hours later Jack settled back into his chair and awaited his Commander-in-Chiefs response after reporting the news that Teal'c and Bra'tac had communicated to him, to the president. When voiced, Hayes concerns were essentially the same as his. They would both only rest easy with the destruction of the Dakara weapon.

Soon enough however Hayes turned the conversation to another more recent and far more personal matter that the two men had been discussing: the orphaning of his niece and nephew and with his assuming guardianship of the twins, his future and by extension the future of SGC.

Jack wanted to remove himself entirely from program operations and Hayes was insistent that was not possible. Jack's reasons were twofold, retirement would allow him to devote his time to the siblings and cut himself off from parties potentially interested in the children. If the siblings had a connection to the program after all he would have wanted to keep a hand in—for medical reasons at the very least. Thor had reassured him however, that would not be a concern with the children. While they were genetically his and Carter's the two siblings only had extremely developed Ancient genes and were otherwise entirely and indistinguishably human.

"Jack, there is another option," Hayes stated on the other end of the phone line.

"And it is?" Jack wondered what the option could possibly be.

"I've just received word from George that he will have to retire shortly or be discharged on medical grounds." Jack jerked upright in his seat but before he could demand what was wrong with Hammond the president continued. "It's his heart and as I'm accepting George's retirement the positing of Director of Homeland Security is opening and I'd like you take the position."

"Me Sir?" Jack was amazed his voice did not squeak. He had been promoted to brigadier general eight months ago and Hayes wanted him to do the job that belonged to a lieutenant general? "Certainly there's someone more qualified—"

"There isn't Jack," Hayes cut him off firmly. "You've served as the program's flagship team's commander for eight years and then base commander for the past eight months. You've been in both trenches and know better then anyone what those soldiers are facing. There is no one else."

"Yes Sir," Jack answered quietly.

On the other end of the phone, Hayes sighed softly. "Just think about it seriously please. And while you're thinking about it, think about the fact that while the position is in 'bureaucrat central,' it is essentially a nine-to-five job that would allow you to be there for the Mayer twins as much as any other career parent would be."

"I'll consider it Sir."

"You'll find the relevant paperwork in your inbox and thank you," Hayes responded and then drew their conversation to a close.

Placing the receiver into its cradle Jack settled even further into his chair. Long moments passed as he turned over and over in his mind what the president had told him. His first instinct was a flat out and emphatic no, but the more he considered it, the more it became a viable option. Still pondering all his choices his eyes drifted to the single picture of the old SG-1 he had on display in his office.

While assuming the position of base commander had been a decision that he had discussed with them, this was one he could not. With his promotion, the team had begun to drift and with Teal'c's involvement in the new Free Jaffa Nation the team was being pulled further apart. He still had not decided how to tell them about his 'adoption' of the two siblings—twins he mentally corrected himself. While the two children were simply siblings their biological age had meant it was best to pass them off as twins.

But maybe… the thought occurred to him that if he accepted the director position most that knew of the Mayer twins would assume it was for their benefit and the distance between himself and the members of the current SG-1 would be greater than ever. It was more a flight of fancy but he did wonder how effectively he could just drop out of their lives.

It would save him the hassle of telling them about the twins after all, without really telling them anything at all.

. . .

In the Oval Office late that evening, one of the fax machines on the president's desk beeped indicating an incoming fax. Henry Hayes raised his head from the report he was reading. Noting the AF header, he pulled the faxed papers towards him and felt an eyebrow rise to his hairline as he read the application in his hands.

It had taken nearly a week for O'Neill to accept the promotion to brigadier general and command of SGC. It had taken him only hours to accept the position of Homeworld Security Director.

He assumed the reason was because of O'Neill's new guardianship of his orphaned niece and nephew. The man had cited the constant hazard at SGC as one of the reasons for his application of retirement as the base was under constant threat and while a base commander had not yet been lost, base personnel regularly were to foothold situations and experiences with alien technology gone wrong.

As he considered O'Neill's signature he wondered if he should have let the man know that accepting the position essentially meant another star for his uniform… nah. He would let George deliver that happy news to his former second-in-command. Amused at the prospect and what he suspected would be O'Neill's reaction, Hayes set the form aside and turned his attention back to the report he had been reading.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Gateroom, Level 28, SGC, Cheyenne Mountain Complex, CO  
February 21, 2005  
Afternoon**

Jack tugged at his collar as he looked around the decorated gateroom. SGC personnel in dress uniforms and visiting alien dignitaries in their regalia. This event was an official celebration of the end of the replicators and the sure fall of the Goa'uld empire with the defeat of Anubis as informed by a recently descended Daniel.

Beyond Ba'al—Anubis had terminated all the other system lords and a great majority of minor goa'uld lords, leaving the Goa'uld empire in shambles. And while Ba'al would most likely still prove a nuisance, a great majority of his Jaffa had defected to the Free Jaffa Nation and brought even more of his resources and armaments with them.

While currently the only known shadow had been the recent passing of Catherine Langford he knew some of his news would put a further, but hopefully temporary, damper on the personnel's high spirits. Finally approaching the podium himself after the speech from the president representative, he looked at the sea of faces before him.

Girdling his loins about public speaking Jack addressed the men and women gathered before him. Thanking them for the service they had done and what being with them had given him personally, and as a commander. Within a short time, he reached the end of his speech and finished with two concluding remarks regarding Catherine and the base's new commanding officer.

"Before concluding I would like to have a moment of silence for the recent passing of a great woman, Catherine Langford." Respectfully SGC personnel came to attention and observed a minute of silence all knowing that if it had not been for her instance and funding, the program they were involved in would never have come to be.

"I will continue now with some other unfortunate news," Jack broke the silence a minute later. "Due to health conditions General Hammond is stepping down from the position of Head of Homeworld Security. At his, and the president's urging, I have accepted the position and will now introduce you to your new commanding officer. Major General Hank Landry."

Gesturing to the man in question in the line of officers standing to the side of the 'gate he stepped from behind the podium and allowed Landry to take his place and begin his introductory speech.

It was the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.

. . .

Thirty days later on the bridge of the _Niflheim _Jack rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited for Hel to enter the bridge with the two children who were undergoing one last biometric scan.

"You have completed your move to your nation's capital?" Thor inquired from beside him.

"Yeah," Jack answered calling to mind the task of sorting and then moving his possessions from Colorado to D.C. There was no point in placing anything in storage as with the further frayed ties between his former teammates there was nothing to hold him to Colorado any longer.

Teal'c already belonged with the Free Jaffa Nation and shortly after announcing the change in command of SGC he had learned that Carter had requested a transfer to R&D in Nevada. It seemed the soon to be wed-colonel was looking to settle into marriage life by getting a more steady job herself. Daniel was consumed by his research about the Lost City and most likely was more than a little relieved to be able to finally devote his full attention to his project.

He had placed his house on the market and already had some prospective buyers examine it and the realtor assured him that given the location and price, it should sell soon. With Kerry's help, he had acquired a modest four-bedroom house in the Alexandria suburbs a twenty-some minute commute in good traffic to his new office in the rebuilt D-ring of the Pentagon. The necessary furniture, for himself and his children, had been delivered the day before. The other toddler necessities, diapers, appropriately sized clothing, and toys, like the house had been bought with Kerry's assistance. A middle child in a large family the CIA agent had grown up surrounded by children and was more than aware about what they needed. A godsend in his opinion as it had been years since Charlie had been a toddler and even then Sara had been the one managing the household.

Finally hearing footsteps, Jack swivelled on his heels and found himself staring at the two small children clinging to the guiding hands of Hel. There was a frailness to the children's smaller than usual bodies that he could only attribute to being born—grown really—in tanks. Already dressed in the clothes he had brought onboard, they looked at him with grey and brown eyes set in nearly identical fine boned faces topped by wispy golden-brown hair.

"This is Tyler, O'Neill," Hel intoned as she held the hand of the child to her right wearing the orange shirt towards him. Not sure of when he had moved, Jack found himself on his knees before the toddler. Even before he had settled, he found his arms full of the small grey-eyed boy as the child flung himself into his arms.

Looking at Hel in surprise at the child's reaction, eerily silent though it was, and found the little girl on the asgärd's left wearing the blue shirt looking at him longingly. Brown eyes beginning to glisten with the onset of tears.

"And this is Emily, O'Neill," Hel stated simply as she released the girl's hand.

Soon Jack found his arms full of not only Tyler but Emily as well.

"To easy the transfer I have impressed you into their minds."

"Impressed?" Jack demanded sharply as he gathered the two small bodies closer to him.

"It is no different than the bond that develops between a human parent and an offspring. It would be easier on the children to adapt to life with you if they already regarded you as their parent." Hel answered.

Jack curtly nodded in understanding but did not like the further meddling with the children's brains. He turned his eyes towards Thor who correctly interpreted the man's wordless request and beamed the newly made family to their new home.

After the light from the transportation beam had faded from the bridge, Thor addressed Hel.

"You seem to have put much thought into placing the children with O'Neill. I thought you would have difficulties… given your lineage and allegiance."

Hel shot the supreme commander a pitying look. "What is done is done. Moreover, if we are to survive as a people we most not do things the Æsir way, Vanir way, or Jötnar way but the Asgärd way."

"And what is the Asgärd way?"

"That is something that we must still find." Hel answered tiredly. Moving to the console of her ship she touched a few of the keys, adjusted a few stones, and looked at the holographic display the developed in the centre of the bridge.

Still kneeling, O'Neill cradled the two toddlers to his chest as they clung to him with equal fervour. His head was bowed and she would not be surprised if the great warrior had tears in his eyes. For truly great heroes were more than just warriors who excelled at the art of warfare, but cared for those they took into their hearts.

The two children were still silent, but the more they were around O'Neill and the more he spoke the buried triggers in their mind related to the development of language would be triggered and they would begin speaking. The girl would be more articulate than the boy, but that was the nature of human children and would raise no alarms.

And while she had been tempted to give them Asgärd she had restrained herself. The human brain was delicate and the young even more so. The imprinting of O'Neill and embedding of English had had enough risks. She would not allow any more to threaten the wellbeing of Lífthrasier and Líf.

So for now she would have _Niflheim _take up orbit on the far side of the planet's moon to maintain watch. Soon however she would be trading _Niflheim_ for the flagship of the new Carter-class ships. Like the Jackson-class this new ship design was at heart a scientific vessel, but with greater fire power though still significantly less than the O'Neill-class battleships. It would also be the first ship design in eons that had not been developed solely with combating the replicators in mind. As she understood it, the spaceflight and engineering departments were quite looking forward to stretching their minds.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Living Room, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
April 10, 2005  
Late Evening**

Two and a half weeks had passed since the siblings had arrived on Earth and as the days had passed and they had interacted with their surroundings, Jack when he was not working, and the caretakers and other children at the Pentagon's daycare, they had developed into normal children. Putting on weight so that it was only their height that made them look a little younger then two years and had developed into chatterboxes happy to babble away in toddler-speak.

Jack was just grateful that their rambunctious natures had been a slow development, leading to a very quiet first week for him and the children to adjust to each other as well as him adjusting to the duties of his new command.

Even though he was now in 'bureaucrat central' and a department director, in a way he had less paperwork than he'd had as base commander. Not in volume but in variety as he was no longer required to make decisions like what type and how many pounds of potatoes to order for the commissary. As thankful as he was to no longer make those decisions, it had been replaced by the more frustrating responsibility of deciphering the highly technological reports coming from Nevada, with a small percent from SGC, in regards to understanding and possibly backwards engineering the hundreds of pieces of alien technology the SG teams had brought back through the 'gate over the past eight years.

But as frustrated as he got daily adjusting to his new job and its demands, he found it surprisingly easy to shed those worries in Tyler and Emily's company. Surprising, but not unfamiliar. He had experienced such a state before. With Charlie every time he came home from work and after most missions.

And now, when before at SGC he would pound out his frustrations on a punching bag in a gym to relax he had discovered it was far more relaxing to visit with, and usually cuddle, the siblings.

Speaking of cuddle, Jack shifted his weight on the couch, moving the small bodies that had begun to fall asleep on him. Turning off the TV, he hoisted Emily up, carried her to the children's room, and laid her in her crib. He rubbed a few circles on her tummy when she roused in protest at being moved. As soon as she quieted down, he returned to the living room to gather up Tyler. Settling the little boy into his own crib, he set the child monitor and headed for bed himself.

Stripping the remainder of his clothes off, having shed most of his uniform upon arriving home, he dropped the garments into the clothes hamper. Settling into bed and before falling asleep he briefly wondered what time Kerry would be arriving but dismissed the thought of staying up for her as she had a key, knew the alarm code, and could get in on her own just fine.

. . .

Early the next morning Kerry Johnson looked with some bemusement at the scene of domestication she was viewing over the rim of her coffee mug. Wearing at the moment only his uniform pants and a white undershirt, Jack was holding court before two enthralled twins as he made airplane noises to get the first spoonfuls of breakfast into the children's mouths. While she knew the two children could use the spoons on their own, they seemed to prefer Jack feeding them first before demanding the spoons to feed themselves.

"Me help," Tyler demanded and Kerry observed that today it was his turn to want to feed himself first. Emily soon followed voicing the exact same words and Jack handed the spoons over to the twins and sat down to his own bowl of Fruit Loops.

Spoon full of coloured circles half raised to his mouth Jack caught the strange look Kerry was giving him and asked, "What?"

Kerry smiled and gave a slight shake of her head and voiced a half thought, "You're very natural at this." Lifting a hand from her mug, she waved to encompass the twins and kitchen.

Jack popped the cereal into his mouth and after swallowing dismissed with a shrug, "I've done this before."

Kerry gave another little shake of her head. Knowing that while it was true, it was not the whole truth. While those knowing only of his current bachelorhood, long time military career, and current rank of major general would assume that Jack and children did not mix, those that saw him with children knew instantly if any man was made for fatherhood it was Jack O'Neill.

Even with her awareness of his past and loss of his son having read his dossier, the realisation had come to a surprise to Kerry. But as natural as the man was with fatherhood she still thought that, "Jack I really think you should hire a nanny."

The silver haired man made a face. "I said before Kerry, I don't want them raised by a stranger."

This was an argument that was quickly growing old between them so she tried a different tactic. "Then would you consider a housekeeper?"

"A housekeeper?"

"They wouldn't even have to be full time. Just someone to help around the house," seeing that he was opening his mouth to protest that he was managing fine on his own she hurried to cut him off. "I know that you're managing it right now, but what about when the children get a little older? Right now, as it is, you're tired when you get home from work and still have to make supper."

"So what would I need a housekeeper for?" Neither his tone of voice or face let her know what he thought about her recent suggestion.

"Someone to keep the house tidy and pre-make meals so that when you get home you have the choice of reheating prepared food or if you had the energy to make your own meal for yourself and the twins. At the very least it would give you more time with them. Plus what if there's an emergency at work that keeps you at the office too long? Who would be available to care for the twins? Please Jack," Kerry reached out and squeezed his forearm where it rested across the table, "just consider it."

His expression sill closed Jack nodded and Kerry knew that would be the most she would get from him for now.

Smiling her thanks at him, she rose from the table and rinsed the mug out before setting it aside to be washed later. The twins would finish up their own breakfasts soon, be changed into clean clothes, their diaper bags needed to be packed and ready to go by the time the car arrived to drive the general to work and the twins to daycare. At the moment Jack still only had his truck which was not suitable for two child seats so until he purchased a vehicle with room he was using the town car to transfer between home and work.

"Kerry if you could watch Tyler for a bit?" Jack asked as he lifted Emily from her highchair. "I'll get this little munchkin ready first."

Nodding in acceptance, for it was a task she had performed before, Jack zoomed the little girl from the room. Listening to Emily's laughter fade as the two moved upstairs to the children's room Kerry found herself, as she rescued Tyler's bowl from a meeting with the floor, wondering why she had not run as far and fast as she could upon being told by Jack that he had suddenly become guardian of his newly orphaned, two-year-old niece and nephew.

It was a thought she was also sure had crossed Jack's mind but if asked she did not know if even now she could say why she stayed. Their relationship had just started after all and she had not signed up for an instant family but a no strings affair with a very sexual man.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Tower Premier Suite, Luxor Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV  
April 14, 2005  
Afternoon**

The gleaming pyramid spearing towards the sky roused a touch of nostalgia in the alien parasite as it looked from its Tower suite at the familiar angular shape. It found the luxurious surroundings of this place tolerable for an individual of his exalted stature, the food passable, and service below par.

Of equal irritation was the unsuitable age of his current host body. He found it necessary at the moment to retain this host but was looking forward to occupying a much younger, fitter, and far more handsome male.

Taking a moment to amuse himself he jabbed the trapped mind of his host and thought quite deliberately about how he would not mind however taking the equally aged but much fitter and attractive body of O'Neill as host. O'Neill for his age would be quite suitable as a host for a god and would increase his status among his brethren exponentially.

He luxuriated in the indignant response from his host's mind. His host after all found O'Neill quite intolerable and was outraged—even in the matter of being taken as a host—that it was O'Neill that was viewed as far superior.

Carelessly locking the now roused host mind back away, he turned from gazing through the window and strode smoothly to the couch. After seating himself, he lifted the cell phone from where he had left it on the coffee table.

The Tau'ri had such interesting and useful toys. He was quite looking forward once conquest of the human homeworld was complete to add much of them to his arsenal. But until that day he was quite happy to use their own technology to plot against them, in fact he relished it.

Entering the number and pressing send the phone rang precisely four times, as it always did, before a feminine voice answered in eloquent Goa'uld.

"/Line-daughter,/" he purred his greeting in Goa'uld. "/I have come across some intriguing information about O'Neill that I require more information on./" He looked at the dossier and photographs spread across the coffee table. Yes, this host did have its advantages distastefully aged though he was. Like the long-standing surveillance of O'Neill that had continued even with the man's move from Colorado to Virginia.

"/What information is that line-father?/" the young woman on the other end inquired.

"/O'Neill has recently become the father of two children./"

"/You are correct, this information is intriguing./" The implication was of course that beyond being 'intriguing' that it could be of great benefit to their cause. The two children after all were the proverbial 'hostages to fate.'

"/I desire to know more about these children,/" he stated.

"/Of course line-father,/" came the agreement. "/Shall I email or fax the information to you?/"

"/Fax,/" he ordered. "/After I have time to read the documents I shall speak with you again./"

"/Of course Lord Oceanus. I will have the preliminary report faxed to you by tomorrow afternoon./"

As the two goa'ulds ended the telephone conversation Oceanus settled back into the comfortable cushions a self-satisfied smirk gracing his host's features. Ah, she was such a dutiful line-daughter. And within such a pleasing host body as well.

. . .

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, recently reassigned from CO of SGC's flagship team to Area 51's research and development department, tossed her pencil down and leaned back in her chair. Her office and lab space were no longer the same, which had its advantages and disadvantages, but the most positive thing about her recent location was all the alien goodies she could get her hands on. Half the inventory secured here she had almost forgotten about, especially if it had been secured by any other team except SG-1.

The freedom to finally devote herself to her laboratory work was fantastic; the other good thing about the move was her availability to Cassie who was attending Las Vegas's university. She refused to think about, or even look at, the securely locked drawer of her desk that held a black velvet ring box with its princess cut diamond solitary engagement ring.

When she looked at that ring sometimes she felt like she was under the same intensive pressure that it took to turn those carbon molecules into diamond lattice. An asphyxiating weight crushing down on her choices and was ending her life.

She did not allow herself to think about it most days. Most days it also did not occur to her because any possibility of her future changing was nonexistent. SG-1 as it had been did not exist anymore. The team that she had thought was bonded stronger than a family had proven only to be tied with gossamer threads.

Teal'c sat on the Free Jaffa Nation Council and led his people in their new freedom as he had always dreamed of doing. Daniel, while in weekly contact, was clearly consumed with his research about the Ancients and still snipping about being denied a position with the Atlantis Expedition when it had departed. As for General O'Neill, he was a distant superior officer who was at one time her commanding officer.

And the nebulous possibility that had tantalised her for the past seven years with a certain man had turned into nothing more than a fleeting allusion proving that her hallucination induced thoughts aboard _Prometheus_ had been correct. She had used them, that is the situation and her feelings, as a crutch against living and engaging in a relationship with another man.

Picking her dropped pencil back up Sam shuttered those thoughts aside with practiced ease. Almost seven years worth of practice.

The plans for her wedding were halfway complete with five more months to go. The ceremony and reception site in Denver had been booked, the photographer chosen, her gown ordered, entertainment selected as well as florist and flowers. Currently she and Pete were debating between two different bakers for the wedding cake. Still to be decided upon was the wording of the wedding invitations, the ordering of her bridesmaids' gowns, followed by booking transportation for the wedding, and mailing the invitations.

Thinking of the invitations, she jotted a quick note down to check how large Pete's guest list had grown. She had less than thirty, Pete's however seemed to be growing at an exponential rate and had been close to two hundred sixty last time she had communicated with his mother. She wondered if she could get him to cut out the people that were relatives so distant they were only seen every fifteen years for Shanahan family reunions and old friends from university that he had not seen or spoken with in the past ten years.

Sticking the note to her computer screen so she would not forget, as she often did about such tasks after becoming absorbed in her work, she turned her attention back to the figures streaming past on her computer screen. Adjusting a few more values of the simulator she let her mind be wholly absorbed into the world of math and engineering.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Living Room, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
May 8, 2005  
Afternoon**

Enjoying a lazy day off, even more now that the twins had been put down for their afternoon nap, Kerry stretched out on Jack's couch and put down the mystery book she was reading. She and Jack had plans for the evening but a phone call fifteen minutes ago looked like it might change those as he had locked himself into his home office indicating that whatever the reason for the call could escalate.

Tilting her head back on the arm of the couch, she eyed the living room's bookshelf with some interest. Jack's reading selection was eclectic to say the least, but what had her interest was the five photo albums that she did not remember seeing before. Maybe he had finally got the last of his boxes unpacked? She knew that there had been a few in the spare two bedrooms.

Rising from her relaxed pose, Kerry crossed the floor to the bookcase and pulled out the albums. Taking them back to the couch, she settled them onto the coffee table and picket up one of the newer looking ones. The book was full of photos of a casually dressed, and younger, SG-1, the now deceased Dr Janet Fraiser, and her adopted daughter Cassandra Fraiser. The photos were for all seasons, casual barbeques at Jack's old house and birthday parties for the alien girl dominating.

Setting the album aside she picked up a second one to find it full of pictures of his life before SGC, his former wife Sara, and deceased son Charlie. Pictures at home, on vacations, parties and events, school fairs and awards, pictures crowded with a variety of men that she knew had probably served within him at his various postings.

The third and forth albums were essentially the same, chronicling the passing of time and growth of Charlie from infant to a young boy.

The last album was more of a surprise, full of older photographs with many of them black and white. She knew that this was most likely the photos that had been passed onto Jack by his mother. It began with photos of a young couple she guessed was his parents—due to the man's strong resemblance to Jack—and more photos of family and friends before infant pictures of Jack who became an adorable toddler who looked so much like Charlie and the twins, and then pictures of a second infant who was probably his sister Julie.

The years past, the two O'Neill siblings aging with photos of vacations, parties, weddings, and funerals until judging from Jack's appearance he was in his early twenties, there were photos of another funeral and turning a page a slip of paper fluttered to the floor. Setting the album aside onto the coffee table she leaned down and picked up the piece of paper, discovering it to be the yellowed sections of an old newspaper. Folded together were two newspaper clippings, year and date inked onto the margins.

Kerry felt rather short of breath as she read the heading of the larger section reporting a tragic vehicle accident that claimed the lives of three local teens graduation night. Hardly believing the names the newspaper was reporting had been killed; she looked at the second clipping to find that it was an obituary.

The young woman pictured was Julie O'Neill.

Double checking the inked dates, the month matched up with graduation month and the birth and death date of the obituary indicated the newspaper had been issued a week later.

According to these pieces of paper, Julie O'Neill born August 4th, 1958 had died June 20th, 1974.

But that was impossible! Jack had said Julie and her husband, Kenneth Mayer who was another fatality of the 1974 crash, had died back in January of this year. But if they really had died thirty years ago, as it was strongly implied by the newspaper report, obituary, and funeral photographs, and not five months ago… who were Tyler and Emily Mayer?

. . .

In a Farrow-Marshall office while viewing the reports compiled through the day, legitimate ones regarding the aeronautics firm that would have to be dealt with as vice-president and personal ones regarding Trust interests, Athena paused at a notation regarding surveillance of a certain CIA agent's activities.

That was most peculiar. Why would Agent Johnson be investigating the histories of Tyler and Emily Mayer? She was after all O'Neill's lover and thus far closer to the source and situation then anyone else. Unless… unless she had come across something that indicated the Mayer twins were not who—or what—they appeared to be.

Opening up a new window on her computer screen, she logged into a secure network belonging to the Trust and accessed the dossier for the Mayer twins, compiled by human Trust operatives at Lord Oceanus's request twenty-nine days ago.

Reviewing the files Athena once again found nothing unusual about the data. The oldest copies of O'Neill's military dossiers actually listed his sister as a family member before the information was simply dropped. The Mayer family themselves from all records were ordinary American citizens who lead normal lives. And the Trust agents had been very thorough in their investigation, comparing the compiled history for the Mayers with other dossiers that they knew had been created either by the armed forces or government departments and came to the conclusion that the Mayer twins situation, though suspicious due to the relation to O'Neill, was legitimate.

But if Agent Johnson was suspicious…

Athena reached for her phone with its secure line and dialled a number. The call was answered within two rings and the melodious voice of her line-father issued through the line.

"/Greetings line-father,/" Athena began in Goa'uld, "/I believe it will be necessary to revise the Mayer situation. I have learned that Agent Johnson is making inquiries./"

"/That does indeed signify there is more to the Mayers than the human investigators have been able to uncover,/" Oceanus observed.

"/Especially when one takes into consideration that O'Neill knows precisely what type of information needs to be fabricated,/" Athena pointed out.

"/That is true, but the agents analysing the data reported that it was unlikely the Mayer situation was not legitimate due to the sheer volume of data needed to be falsified and diversity of areas. It was, apparently erroneously, decided that O'Neill did not have the necessary resources./"

"/Even when he was a mere colonel he demonstrated himself to have a wide variety of resources at his disposal,/" Athena commented remembering the number of Trust operations O'Neill had fouled before he had the resources of being base commander and now, more troublesome, directorship of a department devoted to intergalactic security.

"/It was foolish of them to ignore the possibility,/" Oceanus chided ignoring the fact that he himself had ignored the possibility. It was after all only the human agents that made errors that lead to mission failure, not an exalted being such as himself. "/I believe it prudent that our initial plan concerning the Mayers be implemented./"

"/I shall see to it Lord Oceanus./"

"/Good. I look forward to seeing you shortly./"

"/Yes line-father,/" Athena responded before placing the phone receiver back into its cradle. Turning her attention back her computer screen she pulled up the relevant file regarding the plan to retrieve the Mayers, double checked O'Neill's travel route and time before sending off orders to the other two operatives that would be needed to carry out the mission, and scheduled a vice-president visit to Farrow-Marshall's Nevada plant.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Bridge of the **_**Niflheim**_**, Far Side of Earth's Moon Orbit  
May 18, 2005  
Late Afternoon**

Hel accepted the communiqué from the Asgärd engineering department and felt a great deal of satisfaction upon learning that the_ Samantha_ _Carter_ was going through final test flights and system analysis and would be ready for her command upon returning to the Ida Galaxy.

She would miss _Niflheim_ after centuries of commanding the vessel, knowing every square inch of space and all the quirks that age bestowed upon the ship, but knew her enthusiasm for her new ship would make the transition easy.

Setting course for Kjóll, their shipyard station orbiting Orilla, Hel withdrew _Niflheim_ from its orbiting path and once it cleared the planet and large satellite, engaged the hyperdrive engines. The black of space with the speckling of white starts streaked to white lines in a field of deep purple as _Niflheim_ made its final voyage under Commander Hel.

. . .

On route home after work Jack singled a lane change and took the opportunity to check in on the twins in their car seats in the back of his recently purchased SUV to find them as calm as usual as they quite enjoyed car rides, which made commuting to and from work easy.

Moving the SUV into the left lane to take the next corner Jack's world exploded into world of screeching metal and screaming children. Wrenching the wheel in a desperate attempt to regain control just as they impacted another vehicle, the force threw Jack forward to meet the steering wheel with brutal force and consciousness vanished for him.

Athena squirmed from the stolen vehicle she had been driving and sprinted to the side of the SUV. She had only a few moments before there would be too many witnesses and police arriving on the scene.

Reaching for the crumpled passenger door, she wrenched it off its hinges and was relieved to find both Mayer children hysterical, but physically unharmed. It had been a risk staging the crash to retrieve the children but even if only one had survived it had been deemed an acceptable risk. That both had was a fortunate bonus for them.

Jabbing both screaming children with a prepared sedative she did not even bother figuring out the child harnesses, just cut through the straps and hauled both children from their seats. Settling them into 'mothering' positions on her hips she hurried from the crash scene, moving quickly but not running she rounded the corner that O'Neill had just been about to take, to the car she knew was waiting for her.

The door of the idling car opened from inside and shoving the girl child towards the other man in the passenger seat, Athena slid into the back and settled in as the driver pulled into traffic and headed away from the crash scene.

Reaching for an armoured briefcase at her feet Athena withdrew a healing device and slid it into position on the hand not wearing her ribbon device. Activating the device she scanned it over the boy she still held to insure that he did not have any serious injuries. Finding none she exchanged the boy for the girl and did the same.

Finding no broking bones again, she knew the human child seats had done their job, aided by the fact that her target had been the driver and everything had been timed to maximise the twins' survival.

Stripping off the healing device and ribbon device, which had been worn for its shield component, she stored both of them back into the briefcase. While she preferred to wear the ribbon device it attracted unwanted attention. Attention that she could not yet afford to have directed towards her or her companions.

"Did O'Neill survive?" the man beside her inquired curiously.

Athena thought back to the cursory glance she had given the man before answering. "O'Neill was bleeding from a head injury and the collapsed steering column effectively trapped him but I do not know if it caused serious injury."

The two men were quiet at her news, but not dismissing of O'Neill as a possible future obstacle. O'Neill was known after all for surviving the un-survivable.

. . .

"Thank you Sir," Landry voiced the response one final time before hanging the phone up. Looking up he took a deep and fortifying breath. Pressing down on the intercom, he paged his aide and when Sergeant Pierce appeared, he indicated that he wanted Dr Jackson to report to his office.

As the sergeant departed, he picked up his pen and began to draft a notice, thinking grimly that this was not news that he wanted to pass onto his staff. It was not news he wanted to know himself either. Halfway through composing the message Pierce knocked on his door and ushered Dr Jackson into the room.

"Jackson," Landry greeted wearily. "Please have a seat."

Looking increasingly wary, Daniel seated himself across from the general and looked expectantly at the base commander.

"I was just informed that General O'Neill was in a serious multi-vehicle accident this afternoon."

"My God!" Daniel exclaimed in shock, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"He is still in ICU but his prognosis is good and a full recovery is expected."

"What happened? What injuries does he have?" Daniel demanded, the volume of his voice rising with each question.

"O'Neill suffered a moderate concussion and bruising to the ribcage but no broken bones and superficial cuts from flying glass." Checking the notes he had made during the call, Landry added, "He is in a drug induced coma while they monitor the swelling in his brain. There is a great deal of concern given his past history of brain injuries."

Daniel closed his eyes and breathed a prayer of thanksgiving. Opening them again he found Landry watching him with the same solemn expression and he knew that there was more bad news yet to come.

"What has authorities convinced that this incident was more then a simple accident is the vehicle that initially struck O'Neill's SUV was stolen hours earlier and no driver was identified. Also, further investigation revealed that his children were stolen at the scene of the accident."

"Wait a minute—children? What children?" Daniel demanded. "Jack doesn't have children!"

Landry looked nonplused at the question and statement. "I'm afraid you're mistaken Jackson. The general has been a father since the beginning of the year."

Daniel shook his head disbelievingly. "No, that isn't… he would have told me—us…"

Wondering himself at why Jack apparently had not told Jackson about Tyler and Emily and yet he knew of them, Landry forged onward. "I am unaware about why you don't know about O'Neill becoming the father of twins, but I assure you he has."

Daniel just slowly shook his head from side to side, still not able to understand. Jack was a father again and had not told him? Was it only him that Jack hadn't told? Did Sam or Teal'c know? Snapping back to the current situation he confirmed he would tell Sam as Landry was asking and was relieved to know that as soon as the rest of the base had been informed of the accident, a message would be sent to Teal'c as well.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Carter's Lab, Detachment 3, Air Force Flight Test Center, ****Nevada Test and Training Range, NV  
May 21, 2005  
Afternoon**

Eyes focused on her computer screen Sam groped for the ringing cell phone off to the side on her lab table. Absently picking the object up she flipped it open and brought the device to her ear greeting gruffly, "Carter."

"Sam!"

Daniel's loud and worrisome tone jerked her attention from the computer to the distraught archaeologist on the other end as she shifted back into her seat.

"Daniel? What is it?" her own concern increased when she heard Daniel take a fortifying breath before speaking again.

"Sam, Jack was in a serious car accident this afternoon."

Her grip on the phone turned knuckle white as she paled dramatically. Her mind full of frantically thought denials. The general could not be… after years of 'gate travel he… on Earth!

"He's alive Sam and is expected to make a full recovery."

Air rushed from her lungs as her world righted itself. Taking a few breaths she demanded, "What happened Daniel?"

"They're still investigating but everything is pointing to a deliberate attempt on Jack's life."

She hated the thought of it, but knew that the general had incurred enemies on Earth while working for the Stargate programme, probably from services he had done for his country before the programme, and even more now that he was department director.

"And there's more Sam," Daniel continued. "While it might have been a deliberate attempt on Jack, the real focus might have been on his children."

Something in Sam's brain did not quite compute that last term. Speaking slowly and distinctively, just in case Daniel was unaware of what he had just spoken she said, "Daniel, the General doesn't have children."

Daniel gave a bitter laugh on the other end. "I don't know if it makes me feel better or worse that you didn't know either. From what Landry's told me, Jack became the father of twins three months ago."

Hearing nothing but silence from Sam, Daniel forged onwards. "Three months ago Jack became a father. The reason investigators are sure the twins are part of the reason for the accident is that neither child was at the scene and the harnesses of their child seats had been cut through."

The incredulousness that the general was a father and no one had told her or Daniel was almost too difficult to absorb.

"It could have been an accidental severing of the harnesses?" she inquired, knowing that it was a faint hope.

"No," came Daniel's answer. "I asked that question myself but after hearing the lecture the investigator gave me about the impossibility of the harnesses being cut away from the seat without seriously injuring a child—and absolutely no blood on the child seats…. Everything points to the children being deliberately kidnapped.

"They may have been after Jack as well but when the steering column collapsed inward and trapping him in the vehicle… they would have needed the Jaws of Life like the paramedics did to get him from the wreckage."

Hearing that invoked a sharp cry from Sam before she furiously demanded, "You said he would live! What haven't you told me about his injuries?"

Steadily Daniel repeated what Landry had told him. Finished passing that information on, he promised that he would send an email containing anything new that he learned as well as phoning back when Teal'c contacted SGC from Dakara.

Conversation concluded, Sam closed the cell phone and wondered how fast she could get emergency personal leave and on a flight to DC. Squaring her shoulders, she rose from her seat and made her way to Colonel Masiello office, the commander of DET 3—the true 'Area 51'—since the sixth year of the Stargate programme.

. . .

Leaving the now awake and fussy toddlers to Devon and Weaver, Athena strode towards the business jet waiting to transport the three Trust members to Nevada. Thankfully the technically hour and a half drive from Arlington to the private Richardson Airfield in Stirling had been completed in forty minutes and not the usual fifty that occurred during high traffic times.

Their destination was the private Calvada Meadows Airport in Pahrump where they would meet a car that would ferry them the one hour and twenty some minutes to Lord Oceanus who was waiting for them in his Luxor suite. She had already phoned to confirm that she had secured the Mayer twins and after checking in on O'Neill's situation a final time would inform her line-father that they were airborne and report O'Neill's status.

Boarding and settling into her seat, once the pilot had the craft airborne she logged onto the Trust network and marked O'Neill's progress. He was in an intensive care unit in a drugged coma, which was fine with her and she wondered if she could arrange to keep him in a coma. As lovely as that thought was, it would be more agonising when he woke up in the hospital to discover that the twins had been kidnapped and the humans were still running around like the headless creatures they were trying to discover who had done it.

Well, let them scurry about. There was absolutely nothing that connected Farrow-Marshall Aeronautics with O'Neill. There was the unfortunate investigation preformed by SGC that connected the company with the Stargate project but as Carter had not detected her during the interview, it was highly unlikely that any suspicion would be directed towards her. Especially in regards to kidnapping the Mayer twins.

Placing her call to Oceanus, she informed him of their arrival time and gave her update regarding O'Neill.

Oceanus was both pleased and displeased with O'Neill's condition. Pleased that the man had been injured and would have to heal, giving them more time to implement their plan, but displeased that it meant the man did not know about the fate of the Mayer twins. Physical and mental anguish was the preferred state for humans such as O'Neill.

The call concluded Athena cast an irritated look at the two men accompanying her and the screeching children they were still wrestling with. There would be a nanny waiting for them upon their arrival in Pahrump, arranged via the Trust network, but that did not provide relief for her eardrums at the moment.

"I need silence!" Athena snapped. "Lock them into one of the far rooms."

Obediently Devon and Weaver did as instructed, securing the toddlers in a room away from Athena's seat. The sound of the children's scream was muffled and they expected them to fall into an exhausted sleep shortly. Returning to her side, the two men set up their own computers and set about doing their regular duties as was Athena. It was refreshing to be doing Trust business, but that did not mean they could take time off from managing Farrow-Marshall.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, DC  
May 23, 2005  
Late Morning**

Awareness returned with a persistent throbbing headache and a dull ache of his ribcage as he slowly inhaled and exhaled. As mental clarity returned, the noises and smells of his environment cued him to his current location, the clinical scents of a medical practice.

Slowly assembling the pieces of his hospital memories together in his mind he worked from his oldest memories forward. From his first hospital trip as teen breaking both arms in separate accidents three weeks apart, to trips after FUBAR missions with highlights in Iran and Iraq, and in the past eight years countless stays in SGC infirmary.

But this room did not have the familiar feel, nor did the air have the taste of being recycled to indicate that he was in the SGC infirmary. So what had happened and where was he—

Memories returned in a torrent rush and he jackknifed upright. Attached hospital paraphernalia going wild as his heart rate surged thorough the roof. A nurse rushed into the room just as wail of an electrocardiogram flat lining sounded. Hard on her heels at that dreaded sound were more nurses and a doctor.

Swaying slightly in his upright position in the hospital bed was a furious looking major general. Discarded on the bed sheets was the finger clamp for the heart monitor, which explained the reaction of the machine. Before Major Doctor Hill could begin reprimanding his patient he was lambasted by the man roaring furiously.

"Where are Tyler and Emily!"

Surprised, not only at the quick recovery of a patient that until less than half an hour ago had been in a medicine-induced coma, but by the man's clarity of mind, Hill schooled his features, well used to dealing with surly military patients and responded, "I'm sure your family will be arriving at any moment Sir."

Dark brown eyes bore unforgiving into his as the hospitalised general responded distinctively, "Tyler and Emily are my two-year-old children. They were in the car with me. Where. Are. They!"

Flummoxed by the development—Hill had been under the impression that General O'Neill had been the only occupant of his vehicle—he opened his mouth to respond and was halted by the arrival of the Air Force Chief of Staff General John Jumper and staff. Within moments after permitting a cursory exam, which O'Neill gurgling submitted to, hospital staff was ushered from the room and a guard posted prohibiting entrance.

"Sir," Jack greeted his superior a little more respectfully though the glower was slow to leave his face.

Jumper returned the greeting as he pulled up a chair and gestured to the three men wearing three civilian suits accompanying him. Jack recognised Burke and Barrett but did not know the identity of the third one. Quickly setting up the equipment they had brought with them on the nearest flat surfaces, which soon meant Jack's bed was crowded, Jumper regarded the Homeworld Security director grimly.

"Jack, I'd like you to remain calm while I tell you what's happened since your accident two days ago."

Jack's expression flattened to learn that two days had passed and barely restrained himself from demanding again where his children were.

Seeing that Jack was going to comply, Jumper methodically laid out all that the investigation had uncovered. Either he or the children, or the three of them together, had been the target of a kidnapping attempt with the perpetrator succeeding in kidnapping the twins. While the AF had monitored his phone, computer, and mail while he had been in hospital no overt ransom demands had been made but might be once they learn of his return to consciousness. It was also highly suspected that the perpetrators were interested in information that could be procured by his current position due to the violent method of kidnapping.

Nothing surprising for Jack, just enraging to learn that they had successfully taken his children and no one had yet been able to link the kidnapping to any one perpetrator.

"I think there's something you should know Jack," Burke began as he exchanged looks with Jumper, had already told the four-star about what he knew upon learning of Jack's accident and the twins kidnapping. "As you requested, I've been monitoring all official and unofficial inquires into the twins."

Jack gave a curt nod and then regretted it as his head violently protested the abrupt movement.

"Most of the inquiries occurred in March shortly after you gained full custody. However…" Burke hesitated unsure of what reaction Jack would have to what he had to say next. "However twelve days ago Kerry Johnson did a background search herself."

Jack seemed to grow unnaturally still at the news.

"Is Agent Johnson here?" Jack asked coldly after a long uncomfortable silence.

"She is," the third civilian said. Finding himself the full focus of O'Neill's hard eyes, the man straightened his shoulders and introduced himself, "I'm Special Agent Brad Cruise, Agent Johnson's superior."

"What is her reason for her investigation?" Jack questioned his voice still icy.

"Agent Johnson has not been questioned," Cruise responded and nearly quailed under the hard gaze of O'Neill that changed from frost displeasure to outright disdain. Cruise had met plenty of hard nosed and aggressive people in his line of work that he had been able to stand against with ease but this two-star general gave a whole new meaning to the personality of 'badass general.'

Jack shifted his steely gaze to Jumper and stated, "Request permission to question Agent Johnson now Sir."

Cruise opened his mouth to protest the violation of procedure and found himself cut off by Jumper granting his permission and ordering everyone from the room. Leaving the equipment, though Burke unobtrusively turned off the recording deceives, the four men exited the room and sent in Kerry who had been waiting impatiently in the hospital's visitor area while General Jumper, NID Agent Barrett, and CIA agents Burke and Cruise, had informed Jack about the situation.

Kerry was specifically assigned to assist HWS, and by extension SGC, with uncovering goa'ulds still at large on Earth after their infiltration of the Trust. As the kidnapping of the twins could very well be a Trust operation, she assumed because of her relationship with the general that Cruise had brought in Agent Burke to act as an unbiased liaison.

Entering the hospital room Kerry was relieved to find Jack sitting up without support, but the euphoria from the emotional sensation slowly faded under her lover's hostile eyes. She had never seen that look in his eyes or on his face before and knew that this was the soldier not the man that was evaluating her as if she was a potential threat.

"Jack?" Kerry inquired apprehensively as she moved to his side and sat in one of chairs already dragged into position beside the hospital bed.

"Agent Johnson," Jack responded flatly. "I have some questions for you."


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, DC  
May 23, 2005  
Late Morning**

Quelling the urge to reach out to her lover Kerry smoothed the fabric of her skirt and forced herself not to quail under the steely look the hospitalised man was giving her. In one corner of her mind she wondered at the strength of character of the man that could make him look like a threatening presence instead of the sitting wounded that he was. Making a pre-emptive strike Kerry spoke, "What would you like to ask me Jack?"

"Why did you run background checks on Tyler and Emily?"

The question was flatly stated in almost a monotone voice.

"Because," the brunette answered almost carelessly. She had hope that her investigation would never be learned of by Jack. A foolish and irrational hope in the face of his position as Homeworld Security director.

"That's not good enough. Why did you do the checks?"

Kerry lifted her chin. "I will not be interrogated Jack."

"But that's just what this is Agent Johnson." That was all he said, but far more was implied. More by his hard eyes than the unspoken words.

Kerry dropped her eyes to the floor and let the silence stretch. The tension mounted in the room and in the end the CIA agent was the one to break it.

"I ran the check because I was curious."

"Like I said Agent Johnson, that's not good enough."

Her eyes still downcast and teeth worrying her lower lip Kerry opened her mouth as if to speak and then closed it.

Jack prompted, "What made you curious Agent?"

"I found some newspaper clippings in a photo album. A story of a 1974 car crash and obituary." Kerry lifted her eyes to meet Jack's once more and stated challengingly, "Why'd I find them in your family album Jack?"

While Jack had been predatory still upon the hospital bed since her arrival in the room, now his chest stilled and his very energy seemed to freeze at her disclosure.

Deep within Jack's mind, a mental voice was screaming in anguish that it had been carelessness on his part that had led to his children's kidnapping. Just like his failure to secure his service revolver all those years ago had led to his first son's death. Though he lay some blame at Kerry's feet for performing the checks which would send up red flags to those interested in himself and by extension those in his life. After all, his lover would have to have a very good reason for marking inquiries. Most of the blame he laid on himself. It had been materials in his keeping that had tripped up his children's cover story.

"Did you mention to anyone the reason behind your curiosity?"

Kerry shook her head and waited for him to answer her question. A question that would remain unanswered.

"Then keep your mouth shut. I hear about it from anyone and I'll know where it came from. Is that understood Agent Johnson?" the orders were crisply issued.

Kerry instinctively responded to the authoritative voice and command presence, "Yes Sir."

"No matter who asks you what promoted your illegal search, you will not answer. If they press, say they are to ask me. Clear?"

"Yes Sir," she answered again.

"Good." Jack leaned back against the raised bed mattress for the first time since waking from his drug-induced coma. "You're dismissed Agent Johnson. Send in the others."

"Jack," Kerry beseeched as she reached a hand out to touch his arm.

"Dismissed Agent." Jack repeated sharply.

Kerry dropped her hand before it touched him and rose to her feet. When she reached the door Jack called her attention back to him.

"And Agent Johnson, I think it best you return my key."

. . .

Sam idled her motorcycle at the intersection on her way to her Nevada home. Her booted foot rested on the asphalt and jiggling an impatiently rhythm while she waited the long minutes for the traffic light to change from red to green.

Colonel Masiello had not been able to grant her leave until today though—two days after the general's accident. She knew he had been sympathetic to her situation because he had taken the time to update her with anything that HWS had sent to his office. As of today however he had signed off a weeks leave stating that as the pressing projects had been dealt with, she could request more time if it became necessary at the end of the week.

Light changing she shifted gears and skilfully wove through the busy Las Vegas traffic until she reached the next intersection. Idling the machine she was riding once more, with her foot still jiggling its impatient rhythm, her worry consumed mind was jarred by an unexpected sensation.

Blood tingled in a hot rush through her veins.

_What the?_

Sam's helmeted head jerked to look at the stretch limo idling in the lane beside her. She looked puzzled at the car and then switched her gaze back to watching the traffic light. Dismissing the sensation as a phantom illusion.

The sensation of tingling blood persisted.

Turning her head to look at the limo with its tinted windows again as the traffic lights changed green she kept pace with the vehicle, checking that indeed it had the ubiquitous Nevada plates, as they proceeded to the next intersection. Aware now of the tingling the feeling remained strong and when she idled a foot away from it at the intersection there was no doubt about what she was sensing.

Naquadah.

More naquadah than even one or two symbiotes would have.

Passing through three more intersections Sam found herself looking at the limo and paying particular attention to what she could see about driver. Finally reaching her turn she signalled and pulled away from the vehicle, and spotting a parking spot along the side street that was too small for a car, pulled her motorcycle into the vacant space.

Kicking the kickstand down Sam unzipped her leather jacket and dug through the inner pockets for her cell phone. Her first thought was SGC's number, but she hesitated as she looked at the buttons. Finally she punched in DET 3's number and waited for the line to be answered.

Reaching a helpful sergeant and learning that Masiello was unavailable to come to the phone at the moment she left a message inquiring about someone transporting naquadah into the city as well as the description of vehicle, driver, and plate numbers. Concluding the call, she snapped the phone shut, slipped it back into her pocket, and zipped up her leathers.

Kicking the kickstand back against the body of her motorcycle, she checked she was clear, and pulled into the traffic once again and continued onto her rental house. There was nothing else she could do after reporting her suspicions but wait for DET 3 to get back to her.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Streets of Las Vegas, NV  
May 23, 2005  
Morning**

"Miss Mayfield?" Devon spoke up suddenly from his place seated on the back limo seat.

The blonde woman seated across from him looked up from her inspection of the files she was reading with both a look of annoyance and inquiry. "Yes Devon?"

"Miss Mayfield, the motorcyclist next to us has looked at us twice."

Athena made an irritated sound in the back of her throat at the interruption but obligingly looked through the dark glass to the motorcyclist idling in the lane next to them as the limo halted at another intersection. The female rider was indeed looking at them. Athena waved her hand carelessly in a dismissing motion. "Ignore her."

An intersection later Devon spoke again, this time with a distinctive note of worry in his voice. "Miss Mayfield I might look at her again."

Further annoyed Athena looked up once again to find that the sun was angling through the motorcyclist's visor just right to reveal the face it protected as it looked at them. The face of Lieutenant Colonel Carter. With a distinctive puzzled look on her features.

Only Athena's long years of control of vessel bodies prevented the involuntary in-drawing of breath at that sight.

They proceeded through one more intersection in unison, but before the next set of lights Carter finally signalled and turned off down a side street.

Devon and Athena exchanged looks. Devon's worried and the goa'uld's puzzled.

"Do you think she sensed you?" Devon inquired hesitantly.

"Impossible," Athena dismissed as she turned her attention back to her paperwork. She had had legitimate Farrow-Marshall business to attend to while in the city and had been visiting the plant and handling the issues while her line-father moved the past few pieces into place while they waited for O'Neill to be brought out of his coma. She did hope her line-father wrapped his business up quickly as she wished to return to assisting her lord. "We've proven that Baal-hammon's injection suppresses the natural naquadah signature we emit."

Both passengers instinctively shifted their weight to brace themselves as their driver took a turn a little to fast as the inertia shifting everything within the vehicle. Like the suitcase at Athena's feet. Causing it to tap against a shoed foot. At the touch, Athena glanced down with a look of annoyance at the case.

As the case registered, this time she was unable to stop the sharply in-drawn breath of shock. The case carried her ribbon and healing devices. Both of which had their own naquadah signature and neither of which were shielded.

Her head jerked upright as a Goa'uld expletive split the air. "_Kel kek_!"

"Miss Mayfield?"

"Get me Lord Oceanus!" she snapped.

Obediently Devon picked up the limo's phone beside him and dialled Oceanus's hotel number. He handed the phone over to Athena as soon as the other goa'uld answered.

"Line-father we may have a problem." Athena stated grimly. "We just encountered the Carter woman on route to you from the plant. I am confident that she did not sense me because of Baal-hammon's drug but she would have sensed the naquadah of my _kara'kesh_ and _seneb'kesh_."

Devon sucked in his breath in surprise upon overhearing Athena's statement and looked at the silver case on the floor in sudden understanding.

"That is indeed troublesome," Oceanus responded after a moment of thought, "and must be dealt with."

"My lord?" Athena inquired.

"Do not concern yourself line-daughter. I shall have it taken care of. Continue back to our chambers."

"As you wish Oceanus," Athena acknowledged and handed the phone receiver back to Devon for him to handing it up. She turned her eyes back to the sheets of paper on her lap for the rest of their journey but her mind was consumed by the possibility that Carter, if she had indeed sense the naquadah of the hand devices and most importantly, if the woman had reported it to anyone.

. . .

Oceanus hung up the phone and spent long, thought filled moments staring at the far wall of his opulent rooms as he ransacked his host's mind and thought of what other possibilities were open to him. There was no choice. The human would have to be dealt with, but how?

Decision made he snapped out his orders to Weaver.

Carter was new to the city and without the resources and support that existed for her back in Colorado Springs. The criminal underground was so entrenched and had such a strong presence in Las Vegas it would be a simple matter to once again kidnap the woman.

Weaver nodded his understanding and departed the room to make sure Oceanus's orders were executed.

Taking a cleansing breath and confident of the success of his plans he turned his attention back to further deciphering the printouts that basic human examinations had produced of the Mayer twins. The information was scant and inferior to what goa'uld technology could produce and told him nothing in particular about the genetic traits he was looking for.

Hearing a knock on his door he rose from his seat and crossed the floor making sure a charming smile was on his face as he opened the door.

"Sir," the human on the other side in a brown FedEx uniform said respectively as he held out a clipboard and pen. "Your signature is required for this parcel."

Oceanus inclined his head graciously, signed Kinsey's name on the line, and stood aside as the man wheeled the large package into the room.

"Where would you like it Senator?" the man inquired, recognising the face of the man in front of him from Kinsey's appearances on television.

"There would be fine," Oceanus said carelessly as he indicated a spot beside the table. Nodding, the deliveryman deposited the large package on the floor and departed the hotel suit. Approaching the box Oceanus picked up a knife and cut away the plain brown paper wrapping and tape. Cutting open more tape, he opened the flaps of the box and looked with pleasure at the first of the alien devices that came into view.

These were not devices that had been procured through Trust channels, or even technology that humans had any idea about or encountered before, but through trading with other lords. Technology made by Nirrti and used by all goa'ulds to determine host suitability.

_Lo'taurs _were never just selected for devotion but their physical and genetic superiority, with those of specific genes prized. And with the completion of his plans, crushing of his opposition, and successful conquest in a few days time he would savour the bonus if either of the children were suitable, in particular the boy child, as a_ lo'taur_ and would raise one to serve. To have one of O'Neill's children as a devoted slave and later host would be a fitting vengeance against the human for daring to stand against his godhead.

Setting about unpacking the devices from the box, he set them on the table. Making sure none had been damaged during transit and everything was in order. Satisfied, he made his way to the phone and placed a call through the hotel switchboard to the far less opulent quarters that were housing the Mayer twins and their female caretaker.

"I would like to see the children in two hours," Oceanus ordered.

"Of course Senator Kinsey," the nanny responded obediently.

Satisfied with the progress that was being made Oceanus hung up. The phone had barely rested on the cradle before the different ringtone of the fax sounded and a single sheet of paper was printed. Picking up the sheet, he grinned with savage satisfaction upon reading the message. O'Neill was awake and it was time to let the human's true torment begin.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Outside Carter's Residence, Las Vegas, NV  
May 23, 2005  
Afternoon**

Five burly men sitting in a nondescript white delivery van watched as a motorcycle pulled into the driveway of a Las Vegas home. The motorcycle's blonde driver dismounted her vehicle and tucked her helmet underneath her arm as she headed for her door. The van's driver consulted the written description and picture of their target.

"It's her," he announced after closely scrutinising the information.

"Her?" the man with a crew-cut named Neil asked doubtfully. A doubtfulness that was shared by the other three men: Paul, James and Doug. They had been cautioned that this snatch would be dangerous, hence their numbers—but a blonde woman? Who, admittedly was one fine looking broad, but no woman had ever given more than two of them trouble.

"Certain," Ray affirmed. Wondering just what the client, a man named Weaver, had left out if five men had been recommended to snatch this blonde.

Doug snorted as he picked up the tranquiliser epipen then opened the van door and hefted his beefy form from the vehicle, "Me and Neil will take this one."

"I don't know," James spoke up, "if the client said five or more…"

"What the client doesn't know, doesn't hurt us—besides, we all get paid for this anyway," Neil said as he followed Doug onto the street.

James did not say anything else in protest as the three men in the van settled down to watch the snatch.

"Ma'am? Ma'am?" Doug called out as he jogged towards the blonde who had yet to reach the front porch of her house.

"Yes?" she turned around, with a faint inquiring smile on her face.

"My friend and I," Doug jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Neil and the man came up behind him, "were wondering if you could help us."

"With what?" she inquired as the two men continued to approach her.

"Well, we were both wondering," Doug made sure to continue rambling on to get within arms reach. "If maybe you could help us with…" Once he was within striking distance that was what he did. Strike. A massive fist lashed out to catch the woman in the lower diaphragm, forcing the air from her lungs.

That was when things went wrong.

Even as the breath was forced from her lungs, the palm of the woman's hand snapped out and smashed into Doug's nose. Only the loss of breath lessened the impact of her blow and saved Dough from death, her hand seriously breaking his nose instead of sending shards of bone into his head in a killing blow as she had intended.

As Doug teetered backwards and then staggered back, Neil rushed forwards as Ray, James, and Paul surged from the van. Suddenly comprehending that not only had their client told the truth—five men were needed—the bastard had left out the fact that the blonde was ruthlessly trained and most frightening of all—experienced in unarmed combat.

That had been proven when the sudden loss of air and inability to breathe had done nothing to slow her response down. Had in fact, put her on the offensive.

Neil barrelled into a wicked uppercut that split the skin of his jaw. A knee connecting with his groin with crushing force put an abrupt halt to his attempt to grapple with the blonde.

Just as Doug joined the fray again, the other three men reached the fighting woman. Using their sheer numbers and body masses, they tackled the blonde. As soon as she was under them Doug jabbed the tranquiliser Weaver had given them into the woman's thigh.

The prick of needle from the epipen seemed to intensify her fight as she succeeded in kicking Paul off her legs when a knee got him in the eye. But the fast acting drug, its movement in her bloodstream aided by her fight response, soon knocked her out.

As soon as she was limp underneath them, and Ray was certain she was unconscious he directed Paul to help Doug and Neil as he and James stripped the woman of her purse, cell phone, watch, jewellery and anything else that could be used as a weapon or to track her and tossed it aside.

Moving quickly James and Ray picked the woman up and they all hustled back to the van. Ray started the engine and started to make their way to their destination. In the back, the sound of cursing was heard, punctuated by threats of violence directed at the unconscious woman that James had secured, as the injured men had their wounds tended too.

Thirty minutes later Ray pulled the van into the exchange point in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Weaver was leaning nonchalantly against the booth that covered the shopping carts, thumb on the pad of his BlackBerry with a thick briefcase at his feet.

Ray parked the van and climbed from the vehicle a deep scowl on his face as he approached the client. "The money?"

Weaver's foot nudged the briefcase on the ground, his eyes on the rapidly appearing bruises of the other men as they exited the van.

Ray tensed when the client reached into the interior of his suit jacket, only relaxing with Weaver withdrew a thick envelope.

"Hazard pay," Weaver drawled as he offered the envelope, the smirk obvious in his voice even if there was not one on his stony face.

Growling Ray snatched the envelope and peered inside, counting a large amount of fifty bills.

"The keys?" Weaver asked with his hand still outstretched.

Ray pointed to the briefcase and only after Weaver had nudged it over and Ray had picked it up and passed it over to James—then got the all clear that it contained their fee—did he hand over the van's keys.

Weaver checked the woman tied up on the van's floor before climbing into the driver seat and pulling the vehicle out of the parking lot, his finger pressing send for the message on his BlackBerry to inform Lord Oceanus the local labour had been successful in securing the target.

. . .

The two near identical children huddled together in the corner of the finely furnished hotel room. Golden-brown heads pressed together as they hugged each other tightly. Grey and brown eyes watching the occupants with the same fearful distrust in their eyes from the moment they had arrived—no matter how the brown haired woman tried to entice them out with treats and promises of good things.

The brown haired woman said Daddy was gone, but they knew that was not true. She said nonsense words about their father being killed and now their grandfather was going to take care of them. They did not know what a grandfather was. But if it took Daddy away then grandfathers were bad.

They wanted Daddy very, very badly. Where was he? Why didn't he come for them?

They had been taken to see the suited man again today. He terrified them. He was very mean although he pretended to be nice but they knew that if he really was nice he would find Daddy.

And the blonde woman had been there too. She scared them more than the suited man did. She was mean and she yelled at them a lot.

She especially yelled at them when they asked for Daddy. So did the other men, the ones that grabbed them and their hands hurt when they picked them up and took them to see the suited man.

They just wanted Daddy. Why couldn't they have Daddy?


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Outside O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
May 26, 2005  
Morning**

Jack ignored the airman hovering like a mother hen as he carefully climbed from the town car that had delivered him to his Alexandrian home having finally been released from the hospital. Crowding the street of the suburban residence were numerous nondescript sedans and Jack wondered just which agencies besides the AF were waiting for him inside his house.

Waving off the airman, Jack carefully made his way up his walkway and climbed the steps to his door.

His mind on the set of photo albums shelved on his bookcase and how soon he could destroy the damning evidence he had not known had been in his possession. He would have to go through the photographs also and if the ones of Julie's funeral had been labelled in any way, those would have to be incinerated as well. But that would have to wait until he had the house to himself.

Reaching for the doorknob, Jack growled to discover it locked. Obviously, someone had not taken note of his habit of leaving his door unlocked. Digging out his key, he placed it into the keyhole and wondered just which agency, or agent, he would get to wring out for being so unobservant.

Turning the key he unlocked his door and entered, purposely leaving the door unlocked behind him. Leaving the entranceway, he cast a sardonic look on the suited men and profusion of electronic equipment crowding his living room.

Like this was really being 'discrete.' Obviously Jumper, and by extension the President, did not know the meaning of the word any more.

Exchanging a curt nod with Barrett and ignoring the sympathetic look from Burke, he turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen. After securing himself a Guinness, he reluctantly made his way back to the living room to face the waiting men in black suits and AF uniforms.

Popping off the cap and tossing it onto the coffee table he settled gingerly into a chair and waited. He knew very well why his house had been invaded but he would be darned if he would display an ounce of courteous to the agents in his living room.

As he had predicted, CIA Agent Cruise was the first to clear his throat and speak.

"General, as you're aware our agencies have been ordered to cooperate in monitoring and solving this situation." Cruise was not the only agent present that looked displeased at that order. "As per the President's orders all your phone conversations, computer messages, and mail will be screened by us as we attempt to determine who is responsible for your accident."

Jack wished that he were still a mere colonel under the directive of the AF. It would have been much better to have only one agency responsible for this but as his position was international, national pressure had brought in the CIA, NID, and FBI departments as well as the AF.

Talk about an investigative cluster fuck.

Taking a swig from the bottle in his hands Jack regarded Cruise darkly. Barrett and Burke he at least had a margin of respect for, Cruise however was another story entirely.

The ring of the phone stopped the staring contest between the two men before it could really begin. Jack reached for the cordless, rolling his eyes at Cruise cautioning him from answering right away until the CIA agent gave the signal that the phone signal had been locked on by the electronics currently wired to his phone line.

He knew how this went and it was pointless anyway, the caller ID registering SPACEMONKEY, so he punched the talk button and raised it to his ear. Ignoring Cruise's protest at not waiting until the tracking electronics could kick in, he girdled himself for the conversation he was about to have with Daniel.

"Daniel," he growled wondering how the archaeologist had known he had been released from the hospital.

"Jack!" Daniel's voice was remarkably cheerfully in contrast to his own. "How are you doing?"

"Great Daniel. My car's been trashed, cracked my ribs and head again, and my kids have been kidnapped. I'm doing just **peachy**."

Silence from the other end of the line as not even Daniel could easily ignore the rage buried in those words. Finally, after clearing his throat many times Daniel attempted to begin the conversation again.

"I'm sorry Jack, that was a rather senseless question for me to ask."

"Very," Jack snarled. "Look Daniel I know you called to ask me questions, so just ask them."

"Okay Jack," Daniel responded softly. "Jack, why didn't you tell me—**us**—about your children?"

Jack was so silent for so long the only thing that reassured Daniel that he was still on the line was he was not hearing a dial tone. Finally there was a long sigh and a shuffling sound.

"It… it was just too…" Jack could not bring himself to say the word 'painful' but Daniel was able to deduce it from his tone.

"Painful?" Daniel supplied. Receiving silence as his answer, he forged onwards. "I'm sorry Jack, but when did you meet their mother?"

Jack gave a heartless chuckle and perpetrated the lie he had crafted. "They're not really mine Daniel. They're my niece and nephew… their parents were killed before I took the Homeworld position."

"Oh," Daniel answered, as blindsided by that information as he had been by learning that Jack was a father again from Landry.

Jack shot a quick glance at the AF major in the living room as he answered his mobile phone.

"But Jack, I still don't understand why you didn't tell us about them," Daniel stated with a hurt tone.

Jack rolled his eyes and spoke, "Look Daniel…" he trailed off as the major approached him with cell phone out held. "Look Daniel, I've got to go. Another call is waiting for me."

"Jack—!" whatever else Daniel was going to say was cut off as Jack punched the end button and accepted the major's phone.

"General O'Neill?" asked a male voice on the other end.

"Yes," Jack answered shortly as he deposited the cordless back into its cradle.

"This is Colonel Thomas Masiello of—"

"Area 51, I know," Jack interrupted.

"Yes Sir. I was calling Sir to ask if I could speak with Colonel Carter."

"Colonel Carter?"

"Yes Sir, Colonel Carter. There is an issue—"

"Colonel, I have not seen Carter in nearly two months." Jack could practically feel the tension in the man on the other end of the line change at his announcement. "Masiello, why would you think Carter would be here?"

Masiello took a fortifying breath and hope he was not about to damage a career, his or Colonel Carter's. "Colonel Carter requested personal leave, which I granted. I was under the impression, as she'd expressed such concern over your recent accident, that she would be visiting you."

"And you were not able to get a hold of her cell?"

"No Sir. And Sir, I think you should know that the last contact Colonel Carter had with the base was a phone message for me three days ago on the 23rd asking if the base had authorised transit of some of the element N through Las Vegas."

"There was no transfer authorised was there?" Jack's voice was deadly soft as he understood that Carter had sensed naquadah in the country's gambling capitol.

"No Sir. If there had been, it certainly wouldn't have been done in a limo as she reported."

"Masiello, phone her fiancé to see if they've spoke recently. If they haven't, send a squad to her current residence. See if you can find anything there," Jack ordered. "And fax me the investigation results of what she reported in that message."

"Yes Sir," Masiello responded crisply.

"And Colonel, keep me posted," Jack growled as he snapped the cell phone shut. First his children were kidnapped and now Carter was possibly missing…


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Tower Premier Suite, Luxor Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV  
May 27, 2005  
Afternoon**

Oceanus studied the screen of Nirrti's device set on the table he was seated at. Three data tablets were plugged into the pyramidal shaped device as its program finished running the last of its analysis. The twins of course had been the reason for acquiring Nirrti's technology but on a whim, he had scanned the Carter woman when she had been manhandled into his presence four days ago.

The children's genetics had been more than he had hoped for, as either of the children would be exceedingly genetically suitable as hosts. In fact, he and Athena had never seen such suitable genetic profile before, nor heard of such a profile being boasted of by any other lord.

But that was not what had him staring at the display with a puzzled frown wrinkling his brow.

According to the data provided from the twins and the Carter woman, when automatically compared against by Nirrti's program, they were genetically related. More than being genetically related actually the program stated a 99.99% probability of the offspring being birthed by the woman.

And that could not be right. Not with the same data stating the woman had never bore a child to term.

"Line-daughter," Oceanus asked solicitously of the blonde woman currently indulging in a glass of fine red wine imported from Bacchus's vineyards on Persia. "Would you please tell me if you interpret this data the same as I am?"

Athena rose leisurely from her seated position and approached the table. Setting the finely crafted goblet on the table, she leaned over Oceanus and let her body brush teasingly against his back.

"This is curious line-father." Athena finally stated after reading the information. "Nirrti's machines seem to indicate that the twins are of the former Tok'ra host. And yet that same machine states the woman has not had children."

"You always had such a def touch with the _seneb'kesh_, perhaps you would be able to confirm or refute what Nirrti's device states?"

"I would be more than happy to." Athena said as she straightened. Departing the open sitting room, she entered the bedroom to claim her healing device. Exiting the bedroom and then the suit, she made her way through the hotel to the standard room where the former Tok'ra host was held captive.

Knocking on the door and stating the perquisite password in Goa'uld she was permitted entrance to the room by one of the Trust operatives that were always present. Even with the Carter woman being kept hog-tied and blindfolded at all times, they were taken no chances that she would manage a successful escape. Even when eating and relieving herself, Carter was kept under the watchful eyes of two operatives and a hovering _zat'nik'tel_. Otherwise, she remained bound on a cot that had been rolled into the room.

Approaching the cot where the tied up woman laid, Athena held the healing device over the woman's lower abdomen and began to examine the internal organs in minute detail.

Carter stiffened at the sudden hot touch of the device, tensed for pain but gradually relaxed when none was fore coming.

Athena's proficiency with the healing device to search out the slightest flaw or quirk in a human's body was legendary. She utilised that ability as she performed a detailed scan of Carter's reproductive organs, searching for any hint that the uterus had nurtured a foetus. It took two thorough passes with the device before she was convinced the data from Nirrti's device was correct. The former Tok'ra host had never bore a child.

Athena was puzzled as she stripped the device from her hand and turning sharply on her heel marched back to the suite she was sharing with Oceanus. Swiping the key card through the suite's door, she entered to find Oceanus had poured himself a glass of Bacchus's finest and was lounging on the sofa.

Returning the healing device to the master bedroom, she joined her line-father on the couch in front of the entertainment center and accepted the glass she had been drinking from earlier. "It is as Nirrti's device states. The Carter woman has never bore a child nor are there any signs that she has ever carried a child."

"That is most peculiar," Oceanus observed.

Athena nodded her agreement as she sipped from her glass. "Are you certain of the genetic relation?"

"In that matter Nirrti's technology has never been mistaken," Oceanus stated flatly. An acknowledged fact amongst the Goa'uld cartel. There were few, if any, that could rival the deceased lord's knowledge of human genetics.

"So if the twins are the woman's children and yet the _seneb'kesh_ reveals that she has never bore children… then how did they come to be?" Athena mused.

"That line-daughter is a question that I am sure we can have O'Neill answer for us," Oceanus said with a cruel smile.

. . .

Jack returned home from what he felt was a fruitless day at the office having been permitted to return for a few hours of light duties by Dr Hill. His tension over Tyler and Emily's kidnapping and the unanimous suspicion of Carter's kidnapping on the 23rd or shortly afterwards was wearing him thin and totally wreaking his ability to concentrate on other Homeworld Security issues.

Still nothing about his children and Shanahan had reported he had not talked with his fiancé since the previous Friday—had in fact been expecting a phone call from her about finally ordering the wedding invitations. Searching Carter's residence had revealed her bike lying carelessly in the driveway. Triangulating the signal of her still powered up cell phone had revealed its location; tossed carelessly aside in a nearby hedge along with her wallet and other ID. Investigation by local officials had reported rumours on the streets of a snatch job that had put two or three in the hospital for treatment.

Jack took grim satisfaction from the rumours for if they were true it meant that Carter had put up a hell of fight. The rumoured use of local thugs had Cruise and other analysts convinced that these situations were entirely homegrown and separate. He on the other hand felt in his gut that the situation was alien and most likely linked because of the twins' heritage.

He just did not know who or what demands they would make of him. If any. That was his biggest fear. That there would be no demands and the group responsible for the kidnappings had simply been after the three and skipped the planet after getting their prize.

Ignoring the now smaller group of agents—only one from each civilian department—camping in his living room he made a beeline for his refrigerator and the left over Italian pasta for dinner that was sitting next to the case of Heineken. Stress had him craving the obviation found in the bottom of a dozen bottles of beer but it was a solace he denied himself. He knew what alcohol did to the brain and testosterone and he'd been damned if he would be the slightest bit impaired when the situation called for action.

Setting the carton into the microwave, he heated his meal and eyed the amount of coffee mugs cluttering his sink. It was a good thing the agents mostly subsisted on takeout otherwise he would hate to witness the arguments over who did dishes.

The ring of his phone had him poking his head into the living room with an inquiring look.

"It's an unknown number," Burke reported.

Moving into the living room, he waited for the necessary second ring before answering. "O'Neill."

"Ah, O'Neill," the distinctive tone of a goa'uld voice issued through the line. Clearly heard through the room on the tracking electronics recording device.

Jack's facial features tightened. "Who's speaking?"

"You will learn your god's name in due time," the goa'uld taunted.

"You're no god," Jack snarled.

"Tsk, tsk. Such harsh words from a man who seems to have misplaced some people that are very, very close to him," the voice chided. "One could call them… family."

Jack stiffened at the innuendo. How it knew… Did the goa'uld **really** know? Or was he just making assumptions himself?

"If you've harmed one hair—"

"Enough threats," the goa'uld cut him off before he could complete his sentence. "You will receive a package. In it will be my requirements. I will give you twelve hours after receiving the package to fulfill those requirements."

Jack opened his mouth to respond and swore viciously as the dial tone sounded in his ear. Looking at Burke who had been monitoring the tracking electronics, the CIA agent shook his head. The goa'uld had not been on the line for the necessary two minutes to get an exact location for the caller.

Jack slammed the receiver into its cradle, cracking the plastic, before storming from the room up to his bedroom; a steady stream of cursing following his retreating form.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Living Room, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
May 29, 2005  
Evening**

Jack kept the living room between himself and Cruise. He and the CIA Special Agent had clashed many times in the past six days. Cruise's arrogance set Jack's teeth on edge and the agent had no idea how many times he had come close to having his own teeth bashed in by a general whose temper was already on the edge of restraint.

The only thing that saved the CIA's continual involvement in the situation—not that the agency knew it—was Burke who made a point of remained on premise even while off shift to keep his superior officer as far away from his old friend Jack as much as possible.

Burke glanced up from studying the chessboard between himself and Jack but as usual, was unable to discern the general's thoughts from his stonewall expression. Nearly a full day had passed since the goa'uld's phone call and Jack had gotten quieter and quieter with each passing hour. Burke just hoped he was not in the vicinity when Jack's temper blew, knowing all too well that the quieter the general was the more deadly he became.

A ring tone had everyone but Jack flinching, but when those in the room identified the sounds as coming from Cruise's cell phone, they relaxed.

"Agent Cruise," the man greeted crisply having pulled the phone from his immaculately pressed suit.

The response was surprisingly audible to everyone in the room.

"This is Hel. Put O'Neill on," a weirdly echoing voice ordered.

"Hell?" Cruise's was taken aback. His was not the only reaction of surprise to an individual calling themselves after the place where the wicked were punished in Christian theology.

"Do as I said human," the strange voice stated flatly.

"Give it to me!" Jack ordered fiercely, rising to his feet and holding out his hand towards Cruise. The CIA's agent hesitated, so Jack growled his order again. "Give the phone to me. **Now**."

Unable to disobey that voice of authority Cruise reluctantly handed the phone to the general. Jack took the device and stalked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him before turning the shower on full blast to drown out anything the agents might overhear.

"This is O'Neill. Can this conversation be recorded?"

"No," Hel assured him. "While I am communicating through this device I am operating it on a different method than human technology does."

That put Jack at easy, as it had been a concern of his considering the cell phone he was using belonged to a CIA agent.

"Hel, I need your help." Jack stated bluntly.

"Does it concern the issue with such distance separating yourself and Líf and Lífthrasier?"

"Yes," he answered bluntly then filled the asgärd in on the staged car accident, his minor injuries and hospital stay, and the current situation.

"I see." Hel answered shortly after listening. "Do you wish for me to return the children to you?"

Jack desperately wanted to say 'Yes' but knew that if the Asgärd were involved in such a blatant way, too many of the wrong people would ask questions. More questions considering they had already been kidnapped. He forced himself to say, "No. It should be us the retrieves them to keep their heritage safe."

"Very well." Hel agreed. "Do you have your computer device turned on in your residence?"

"No, but I can turn it on."

"Please do so. I will transmit the children's coordinates to the device once my computers have finished calculating their precise location and leave their retrieval to you."

"Thank you," was Jack's heartfelt response.

"It is my duty to assist you O'Neill. I shall continue monitoring from orbit," the asgärd concluded, curtly ending the call.

Emerging from the bathroom Jack ignored the questions fired at him by the agents as he tossed Cruise's phone back to him. Making his way upstairs to his office he powered up his laptop and settled down to wait for Hel's message.

. . .

High above the planet Hel keyed a new command into _Samantha Carter's_ computers. Changing from the lunar orbit that the ship had been in when it had registered the distance between the O'Neill genetic signatures, to take up position over the area where Líf and Lífthrasier were to allow the computers to identify their location down to the tenth decimal place.

Only O'Neill's command kept her fingers from the stone that would beam the children onboard the bridge and everyone in a five-mile radius into the cargo hold of her ship. To be sorted and dealt with at her leisure. The signature of the goa'ulds would be easy enough to identify from the beam and traces of the host's DNA would rest upon whoever the creature interacted with, leading to easy identification of the goa'uld's human assistants.

Thinking of creative methods of retribution in her head, Hel keyed in the commands to also locate any goa'uld genetic signatures and tag on the computer individuals that were often in its presence.

As the computer carried out her commands she began typing an urgent report for the Asgärd High Council about what she had discovered upon her return to the human's galaxy having spent the past _dagrs_ employing _Samantha Carter_ on its shakedown cruise before its maiden intergalactic voyage from Ida.

It was not long after the message to the council was compiled and sent, that the locating program chimed to signify unusual readings. Examining the data Hel came to the conclusion that there were two, not one, goa'ulds within five miles of each other.

Leaving the program to its searching and tagging of beings in the children's vicinity, she typed the order for the data to be transmitted to O'Neill's computer. Making sure to translate the information into English, Hel also made a note emphasising that there were two goa'ulds within close proximity of Líf and Lífthrasier.

Activating the ship's telescope system, she aimed it at the area where the children were, zooming in until the building that they were within was in full view. Recognising the pyramidal shape of the building shown in the third screen, she was reassured when the computers noted its construction of purely Earth materials.

She left the telescope at that zoom level and checked that O'Neill had accessed the translated data she had transmitted. Seeing that he had, Hel settled back and stared broodingly at the computer screen as the white characters produced by the genetic identification program continued to scroll past on one screen. Her black eyes periodically shifted to the second screen that projected the identified location of the O'Neill genetic material and goa'ulds.

Seeing that O'Neill was moving she was satisfied that there would soon be resolution to the current situation. O'Neill after all was now recognised by his own government as the superior warrior he was, with full access to the force that was so efficiently destroying the Goa'ulds. Whatever technology those two goa'ulds had should be easily dealt with by O'Neill and his men but just in case… she would keep an eye out.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Streets of Alexandria, VA  
May 29, 2005  
Late Evening**

Jack tapped his fingers on the leather seat of the chauffeured car he was riding in as he cursed Bollings for only having a helipad. What good was an AF base if it did not have a runway? The fact that Bollings was a no flight base was forcing them to add ten minutes to their trip as they headed for Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Ten minutes that Jack did not want to add to the trip that would end at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Every minute counted in his book.

He had already wasted enough time informing Jumper of the new information, then barking orders to Andrews's base commander and NTTR's commander, coordinating his arrival and capture mission of the goa'ulds currently living the high life in Las Vegas, with his real goal being the rescue of his children.

Three teams from SGC were also being flown to meet them in Nellis as the SG teams were the only one with the experience with confronting goa'ulds, although extra tech and scientists from DET 3 would be standing by in case the SG teams ran into any unexpected technology.

Thirteen long minutes later they passed through the rest of Andrew's security measures and were just starting to depart the car for the jet waiting to transport Jack and his accompanying multitude of civilian agents when Barrett, who had joined them after being informed about the new information, had his cell phone ring.

Whipping out the phone as the agents near jogged to keep pace with the rapidly moving general as Jack headed for the idling airplane Barrett huffed out his greeting, "Agent Barrett speaking."

"This is Hel. I have more information for O'Neill."

Astonished Barrett stumbled to a halt. "Excuse me? Hell?"

Even from his lead in front of the group Jack heard the term 'hell' and correctly interpreted that Hel had called. Screeching to a halt, and barely avoiding being barrelled into by the two FBI agents, Jack whirled about and strode back to Barrett.

"Give it to me," Jack ordered.

Without a protest Barrett handed it over wondering why, as did others, how this Hell, who had first called Cruise's phone was now calling Barrett's phone. How had this informant gotten the numbers and why did he not call O'Neill's number directly?

"O'Neill," Jack said curtly. Quietly he listened to what the alien on the other end had to tell him. The call took no more than a minute before Jack thrust the phone back to Barrett and whipped out his own phone, punching in one of the buttons that would call the direct line to the SGC.

Jack barely gave Landry on the other end time to greet him before crisply barking more orders as he hurried into the jet. "Increase the SG teams for Nellis to four. Also send Dr Lam with a full medical team, Carter may need her. I'll tell you more when we're up."

He snapped his phone shut as the last of the agents bordered the plane and buckled in. As the plane began its run he succinctly told the impatiently waiting agents that his 'informant' had also located Carter within the Luxor Hotel and the capture and rescue mission had just grown more complicated.

Once they were air born and cell phone usage permitted, he would call Landry back, then phone Jumper and fill the general in about the new development and get Carter's exact coordinates from the laptop that he had carried with him from home.

. . .

Jack and his nine civilian companions disembarked in Nellis after a four and a half hour flight from Andrews, the pilot having pushed the engines of the passenger jet to cut off half an hour and nineteen minutes of the regular flight time.

That time had not been spent idly, but on the phone to various departments and individuals as Jack used every ounce of his authority to railroad any resource he might possibly need and lock out everyone else that he felt had no part of this op.

He took some grim satisfaction that while back in Virginia he had managed to convince the CIA director that Special Agent Cruise could best serve the department by remaining in his Alexandria home to wait for the goa'uld's promised package. Jack however had no intention waiting until the goa'uld's demands were delivered before beginning the mission as Cruise advised.

Ushered by the airmen waiting on the tarmac the group was soon in the room where SG combat teams 3, 5, 12, 13 and the medical team of SG-7 were already waiting having only a two hour flight from Colorado Springs to Las Vegas. Also present were the various liaisons from the local law enforcement, the Las Vegas PD and local FBI branch. This was a military operation, but this mission would still be executed in civilian territory and HWS needed to tell the civilian agencies what to do—or not to do—so there was no confusion.

Exchanging a curt nod with the SG personnel Jack handed his laptop over to Burke to have the far more computer proficient CIA agent hook the device up to the room's data projector.

Taking the floor Jack began the mission brief, keeping his language in familiar mission jargon and Stargate programme code to keep those in the room without clearance in the dark.

"I am Major General O'Neill and will be in command of this op. These two individuals," Jack pointed to the red dots in a three dimension point projection of the interior of the Luxor Hotel and Casino buildings, "are the main targets. They are not to be approached by anyone but a member of an SG team. Is that clear?" Jack stared down the leader of the LVMPD SWAT teams.

"The five individuals tagged in purple are to be approached with extreme caution and expect them to be armed. The three people tagged with orange in the presence of the purples are the hostages. SG-7 will be on standby in the Pyramid lobby to treat the hostages as soon as they've been secured."

"Teams 3 and 13 with SWAT Blue Team you will be the ones assigned to apprehend the reds—your radio code will be Ophidian. SG-5 with Barrett will be responsible for securing this hostage," Jack touched a finger to the single orange dot with two purples in close proximity. "Code will be Dorothy."

"These hostages," Jack moved his finger to touch the two orange dots that were so close together they were overlapping, "will be secured by SG-12 and the SWAT Red Team. As these hostages are children that are two-years-old the SWAT team will command their rescue. I will accompany this team, but Hadden make sure I am only brought in once they are secured. Our code will be Lamb."

Major Hadden was not the only one to look puzzled by Jack's last order.

"The children are mine," Jack answered the unvoiced question and the SWAT officers and local FBI agents wondered at the barely concealed surprise on the faces of the AF personnel. "If any of the purples with the children use any unusual weaponry, SWAT you are to let Major Hadden take command as his team has the necessary experience.

"Agent Burke and the FBI will remain here at Nellis coordinating information. Burke," Jack turned to his old friend curtly, "the floor is yours now."

Burke got up from his seat and took Jack's place beside the projector screen. "I'm CIA Agent Enrico Burke," he introduced himself and began to fill everyone in on the information that Jack had not. Primarily the identity of the hostages and what was known about the terrorists. Information supplemented from the hotel registry that identified the renter of the three rooms as R. Kinsey.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Streets of Las Vegas, NV  
May 30, 2005  
Early Morning**

Sergeant Cross of the LVMPD SWAT Red Team eyed the silver haired man sitting across from him in the back of the mobile-command centre with considerable interest as they travelled from Nellis to Luxor.

Major General O'Neill was no longer wearing his blue uniform but looking comfortable—and far too natural for a proverbial desk jockey—outfitted in combat gear and clothing. Cross's twelve officers and the other members of the rescue team were scattered through the rest of their transport convoy, both from the LVMPD and the AF, making what he was sure looked like an odd parade of vehicles.

In the vehicle with him besides the general, was FBI Agent Hamilton who would be handling communications, Colonels Reynolds and Dixon leading the Ophidian Team and Major Altman in command of the Dorothy Team, with the NID agent acting as the major's second. Cross did not even know what NID stood for and upon asking Agent Barrett had only received an enigmatic smile.

The vehicle pulled into the parking lot of Luxor Hotel and Casino and the mobile-command centre had barely emptied and organisation of the mission force started when a call came in from Nellis.

"General O'Neill," Hamilton called from the interior of the command centre. "Agent Burke just called to report that the two children are being moved from their rooms in the Pyramid to the Tower room where the reds are. Two purples have accompanied them."

A muscle in O'Neill's jaw flexed wildly as the military men encircling him grew grim faced.

"Change of plans," O'Neill growled as he looked at the SWAT commander. "Cross, we'll follow Reynolds and Dixon. Hadden, you take care of the occupants remaining in the twins' old room. Move out."

Not even waiting for Cross's affirmative or denial of his new orders, O'Neill turned on his heel and strode across the parking lot into the lobby of the hotel. A harried looking red-haired man, who they assumed to be the manager, along with two uniformed PD officers met them as soon as they crossed through the doorway.

The general did not allow the manager any time to say anything as he demanded the master access cards that the AF had already arranged to be given. Looking even more harried the manager handed over five plastic cards and O'Neill distributed them to Reynolds, Dixon, Altman, and Barrett, keeping one for himself.

Leaving the manager to his protests and complaints the thirty-four man group—two CIA, three NID, thirteen SWAT, and seventeen soldiers—headed for the hotel's staircase. Eleven splintered off from the main group and headed to the Pyramid rooms and the rest continued to their target in the Tower.

Once outside the Tower Premier Suite the SG teams set themselves up to box off the door as the SWAT personnel secured the entrances to the hallway.

Adjusting the towels in her arms that they had snatched from a housekeeper's cart and piled high to conceal her suit from casual observance from the door's peephole, the female NID agent knocked crisply on the door and called, "Housekeeping! I have the extra towels you requested."

. . .

Oceanus cast an annoyed looked at the door of his suite from his chair in the lounging area. Irritated at the interruption as he, Athena, and the two Trust operatives were in the midst of arguing over information that they had just received regarding O'Neill's sudden departure from Virginia. And a sudden and unprecedented cooperation between the AF, CIA, FBI, and NID for a highly classified mission under the directive of HWS. Weaver and Devon had even foolishly brought the twins to his chambers believing that O'Neill had discovered his location and urging them to relocate. Utter nonsense.

He had not ordered extra towels but such incompetence should be expected of Earth humans.

"Deal with it Devon," Athena ordered from her place beside the entertainment center, flicking a manicured hand at the door.

"Yes Miss Mayfield," Devon dutifully replied and strode to the door of the suite.

Devon glanced casually through the peephole and seeing only the pile of towels ordered loudly through the wooden panel, "You have the wrong room. We didn't order extra towels."

"I'm sorry Sir. Are you sure Sir?" the female voice inquired on the other side of the barrier, her extremely loud voice masking the sound of a master card key being slid into the card reader and disengaging the lock.

"Quite certain!" Devon barked. "Now go away!"

"Yes Sir, sorry Sir," the female voice apologised profusely.

Devon had barely turned back to face the other three occupants of the room and cleared the door when it was kicked in. Missing his heels by millimetres. A shot from an_ in'tar_ square in the back took the Trust operative out as soldiers poured into the suite.

Oceanus, who had been sitting with his back to the door, did not have time to fully rise to his feet and turn around before two _in'tar _bolts caught him with glancing blows to the shoulder and thigh. The double hit stunned the goa'uld and the host body fell forward to twitch over the coffee table.

Weaver by the bar had time to draw his gun but the sheer number of soldiers rapidly filling the suite had him realising the futility of resistance. He dropped the weapon onto the plush carpet and raised his hands into the air.

Athena had made it to the dining table before drawing herself up right upon being surrounded by three soldiers. She cast them a supercilious sneer as they urged her at gunpoint to back against the wall.

The soldiers in the room set about securing the four occupants of the suite. The still unconscious Devon was bound hand and foot and dragged clear of the doorway. Oceanus they manhandled upright and into one of the dinning table's press-back chairs, securing the goa'uld's hands behind the chair back and wrapping the ties around the chair's vertical rails as well.

Weaver received the same treatment and they were just in the process of tying Athena down when Jack entered the suite.

Both goa'ulds looked at the silver haired man with pliable hatred as he strode towards them. Even more to their affront, he ignored them totally as he stalked past them. His focus on the children locked in the second bathroom in the bedroom, their location clearly revealed by Hel's information.

Everyone in the main area heard the high pitched and excited children voices as they were reunited with their father after nine days of terror.

Reynolds radioed in the mission's success to the mobile-command centre, which would relay it to Nellis. In return, Reynolds learned from Hamilton that teams Dorothy and Lamb had also been successful, apprehending two males and one female, as well as rescuing Colonel Carter who was currently being checked over by Dr Lam. At the moment the colonel seemed no worse for wear in regards to her kidnapping and seven day incarceration.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Detachment 3, Air Force Flight Test Center, ****Nevada Test and Training Range, NV  
May 30, 2005  
Afternoon**

Jack looked through the one-way mirror wall into the interrogation cell holding Kinsey in handcuffs and leg irons with two SF standing on either side of the door to the room. While Nellis was closer, he had decreed that the securest location to hold the goa'ulds was DET 3 with their experience with Camulus.

"Do you know the snake's name?" Jack asked of Colonel Masiello, having finally reassured Tyler and Emily enough that their ordeal was over to have them settle into sleep in one of DET 3's VIP rooms.

"Yes Sir," Masiello responded. "Mr Kinsey is currently infested with a goa'uld calling himself Oceanus."

"Ohseeus?" Jack mangled the name in typical Jack-fashion. "Who's he?"

Masiello consulted the clipboard in his hands. "Oceanus is the Greek personification of the ocean."

"Never heard of him," Jack's tone was clipped. "Anyone else with a snake?"

"Only Miss Charlotte Mayfield, Vice-president of Farrow-Marshall Aeronautics. The other four men we've confirmed are Trust operatives—two are employed by Farrow-Marshall as well. The woman was simply a hired nanny." Masiello filled the general in on the important information.

"Farrow-Marshall?" Jack's brown eyes narrowed as he vaguely remembered an investigation done at the firm some months back. "I thought they'd been checked. By Carter none the less."

"Yes Sir, but Colonel Carter has confirmed that she is unable to sense the goa'ulds in Mr Kinsey or Miss Mayfield."

Jack's head snapped about to fix an intent stare on the DET 3 commander. "What do you mean?"

"Just that Sir. Colonel Carter is unable to sense them. She can however sense with perfect clarity every device with naquadah that was in the hotel room."

"So what did they do?" Jack turned back to the window and made a vague gesture towards the seated Kinsey, indicating he was questioning about the goa'ulds' ability to hide the naquadah signature they emitted.

"My staff is uncertain at the moment Sir but are suspicious about a large quantity of vials found in the bar refrigerator."

"What was found?"

"Preliminary analysis suggests that the drug in the vials is able to suppress the naquadah signature in a bloodstream. They are currently calculating the drug's metabolism rate and will have Colonel Carter check when the drug wears off."

Jack mightily resisted the urge to swear vigorously and instead mumbled a low, "Crap!" If it was true, it meant the drug had mostly likely been created with the sole interest of infiltrating Earth. "What else was found?"

Masiello once again consulted the papers he was carrying. "Ah, ribbon and healing devices were identified, along with a communications orb… some tablets and some other clearly Goa'uld computers that Colonel Carter and her team are working on right now."

"Anything else? Like the ribbon device was connected to a ring remote?"

"No Sir. They seem to have been Earth bound."

"Let's hope so," Jack muttered as he turned away from the window again and headed for the door. "I think it's time that Ocean and I had our little talk."

. . .

Oceanus looked towards the cell door as the noise of the lock being released sounded loudly in the Spartan space. The two soldiers that had been in the room with him stood even more stiffly at attention if that was possible, when a two-star general walked into the cell.

In three long strides, the uniformed general was at the table Oceanus sat at. Drawing out the other chair from its pushed in position at the table Jack seated himself across from the chained goa'uld.

"So, Bobby…" Jack drawled out with a smirk as he surveyed the man drably clothed in gray prison garb instead of his usual immaculate suits. "You've come down quite a ways. Senator, vice-president, and now you've got a snake in your head. I think your current situation is most suited to you."

Kinsey's eyes glowed dramatically. "Kinsey is no more! I am Lord Oceanus!"

"Look Ocean, don't try that crap on me. I know very well that the host survives," Jack snapped his eyes flinty.

"Oceanus!" the goa'uld snarled with impotent anger.

"Whatever," Jack flicked his fingers dismissively. "But that isn't the issue here."

"What? The mighty O'Neill is not going to beg me to speak to my host? Especially when the vessel is one of your own?" Oceanus taunted.

"I don't give a flying-**fuck** about Kinsey." Jack stated bluntly before giving a brutal smile that was more or less all teeth. "You can torment him all you like. You'd be doing me a favour after all."

Oceanus stiffened at the implication that by tormenting his vessel as he did, he would actually be aiding his nemesis in any manner. Such thoughts were intolerable.

"But enough of those fun thoughts. I want to know why you had my children kidnapped." Jack's voice was quiet and cold—very, very cold.

The goa'uld smiled gloatingly as he leaned back in his chair to look superiorly at the man seated across from him. Feeling that the power in the meeting had just switch to himself. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Oceanus taunted.

"Oh, I don't** think** I'd like to know," Jack said softly, "I **know** you're going to tell me."

Oceanus sneered. "Tell you? You have no way of making me. And I know that you Earth humans have no stomach for torture."

"Are you so certain?"

"Oh, I know all about your scruples O'Neill." Oceanus stated confidently. "You're a weakling that would never resort to tactics you disdain."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Jack stated softly. "It was my children you kidnapped after all. But because you're not going to tell me…"

"You're going to what?" Oceanus taunted as he leaned towards the general.

"Then we'll do this the hard way," Jack promised.

Oceanus burst into laughter and sat lounged back in his seat. "Hard? You don't have the guts—"

White light flooded the cell and cut off the goa'uld in midsentence. When the light cleared, there were only two baffled SFs and one general with a suspiciously blank face in the room. His dark eyes however were far too satisfied for him to be unknowing of what had just happened.

'_Oh yes, you'll tell me_,' Jack thought as he rose from his chair and went to go report Kinsey's 'disappearance' to Masiello if DET 3 had not already detected the energy surge in the cell from the transport beam.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Bridge of the **_**Samantha Carter**_**, Earth Orbit  
May 30, 2005  
Afternoon**

Two goa'ulds and hosts materialised on the bridge of the Asgärd vessel. Having been plucked unceremoniously by the transport beam from their chairs they plummeted to the floor onto their butts. Faces full of anger they scrambled to their feet. Their anger quickly turned to poorly concealed fear upon confronting the distinctive form of an asgärd.

"What is the meaning of this?" Oceanus demanded of the dark skinned alien.

"You will find out soon enough," Hel promised darkly as the two goa'ulds suddenly found themselves levitating off the floor.

Spindly fingers adjusted a few stones on the console and the human bodies were bathed in light. The strongest point of light concentrated around the head and neck. As the light faded, the humans were again dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

Hel turned another stone and with another flash of light, the serpentine bodies of the two goa'ulds were floating in the air before her. The beaming method of extraction would be fraught with difficulty for any other vessel with a high possibility of leaving the host mind brain damaged, but the _Samantha Carter_ had unusually powerful and discriminating beaming technology.

Casting a dismissive look at the two humans, well aware of O'Neill's unfavourable opinion and her own—formed after accessed the human's investigative results, which had revealed the female's voluntary association with the Goa'uld and the male's idiotic opposition of O'Neill—Hel beamed them back to the rooms they had been occupying on Earth.

Eyeing the two symbiotes that were still levitating Hel turned back to finish the program she had been constructing. While the main concept was O'Neill's she found it very suiting to use the Goa'ulds own ideas—not technology as Asgärd technologies were far more sophisticated—for interrogation.

Programming and construction of the necessary devices complete Hel transferred the floating symbiotes into two cylinder shaped tanks filled with the necessary solution that would permit the goa'ulds to think only of the truth. The transparent material of the tank walls was imbedded with the necessary microscopic technology to translate their neural impulses to a projection screen and into English.

It would take a few hours for the truth solution to permeate every cell of the symbiotes but she had time. O'Neill would contact her when he was ready to board _Samantha Carter_ and in the mean time, she would further refine her other project.

The project that would allow for a download of the goa'uld minds into an interfaced database to be searched at a user's leisure. The goa'ulds were about to learn that some Asgärd had only been restricted from interference by their own laws and their ongoing war with the replicators. The replicators however were defeated and the Asgärd-Goa'uld Treaty had been violated by the parties' involved—human, asgärd, and goa'uld.

As such, the goa'ulds no longer had the treaty's protection and were in for a rude awakening.

. . .

Colonel Thomas J. Masiello—for the first time in his long and distinguished career with many years of service and then command at DET 3 and the unusual alien situations that the base encountered and produced—felt the closest he had ever come to tearing his greyed hair out as he stood behind his desk.

First had been the kidnapping of Colonel Carter while under **his** command and whose contributions and importance to the Stargate program were immeasurable. Her permanent loss would have been a career-killing incident to put things mildly.

Next had been the commandeering of his base and resources by the Head of Homeworld Security, which in his opinion was far more terrifying than President Hayes taking over. The president after all was one that would order a body killed and buried, the general would do the killing and burying himself.

Lastly, once General O'Neill's mission was complete in Las Vegas and the AF had secured the goa'ulds that had been living at the Luxor Hotel they had been snatched right off his base!

Then returned! Minus the goa'ulds!

And the general standing in a corner of his office was entirely too suave about the latest development of the situation.

"You're certain those power bursts matched the energy of an Asgärd transport beam," Masiello questioned the lieutenant colonel in front of him.

"It almost matches exactly in power and matches exactly in description," Carter admitted.

"Almost?" Masiello pressed.

"Yes Sir, almost."

"So you can not say with certainty that it was an Asgärd." It was more a statement than a question.

"Not with one hundred percent certainty. But that difference may come from its ability to penetrate the base's shielding."

Masiello gave a tired sigh as he scrubbed his hand through his hair. That was a point he did not want to think about. He had been assured by the scientists that no ring or beam technology could be used on or within the base facility. "But you've already said that the Asgärd have never… de-goa'ulded a human before," he pointed out.

"To my knowledge they have not Sir. Thor's Hammer on Cimmeria kills the symbiote to free the host of infestation. That leaves behind a distinctive marker that neither Kinsey nor Mayfield have. But the time between Mayfield and Kinsey's disappearance and reappearance indicates an incredibly quick extraction," Carter thought it prudent to add. "The Tok'ra procedure takes a good forty minutes of preparation and fifteen or more for the actual removal of a symbiote."

Which was definitely longer than the six minutes the two former hosts had been gone.

"Sir?" an airman tapped on Masiello's door, standing even more rigidly at attention when he caught sight of the two-star standing in the corner of the office.

"Yes Lieutenant?" the colonel asked.

"The doctor would like you to know that Mayfield and Kinsey have awakened."

"Good," Masiello gave a curt nod as he began to move to the door, taking note that General O'Neill held Carter back for a few moments, to question her personally about her ordeal he assumed before his mind turned back to the matter at hand. If the two former hosts were coherent enough, they might be able to get an answer to this question of whether or not it had been the Asgärd that had beamed them off base. If they had been aware of anything at all.

. . .

Three hours later Masiello was satisfied with the preliminary interview with Kinsey if not a little disgusted with the interviewee himself. While Kinsey had been infested against his will when the US and Russia had almost launched nukes at each other some months ago, it was the former vice-president's long association with first the NID and later the more shady splinter group called the Trust, that in the end had led to Oceanus's inhabitation of his body.

Once infested, Kinsey had been in the dark about Oceanus actions and only occasionally aware of events—like when Oceanus escaped from Osiris' personalised _teltac _before _Prometheus_ blew it up, and when the goa'uld took the time to torment his host with certain thoughts. Oceanus had seemed to take particular delight in taunting Kinsey with O'Neill's successes: such as his promotion, reassignment, and other things.

Masiello suspected Oceanus had done it simply because Kinsey regarded O'Neill as his nemesis even when it was clear to him, that Kinsey was not in the same league as General O'Neill.

Kinsey did not know why Oceanus had kidnapped the general's children—he had not even known until asked during the interview that the major general had children—and Colonel Carter. Or what the goa'uld might have been planning with Mayfield's goa'uld named Athena.

Or anything of real use in regards to the goa'uld's plans and motives. Kinsey was however a wellspring of information in regards to the Trust—even with his information being months out of date—it would at least tell HWS where to look and at **who **to look when they started their clean up.

Murmuring pleasantries as he took his leave of Kinsey, Masiello fortified himself for what he expected to be a far more difficult conversation with Athena's former host, Charlotte Mayfield. Mayfield they had uncovered had been a Trust operative before willingly becoming a host.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Bridge of the **_**Samantha Carter**_**, Earth Orbit  
June 2, 2005  
Evening**

"Hel," Jack greeted as he was beamed onboard _Samantha Carter_ from his Alexandrian home in Virginia. He and the children had flown home in the morning having spent yesterday at DET 3 debriefing from the situation with Kinsey and Mayfield—and passing orders to Masiello to order Carter home for some enforced rest.

"O'Neill." Hel lifted a spindly finger and pointed to the two cylinder tanks, each with its own symbiote.

A mingled look of disgust and anger on his face Jack approached the two tanks and circled them. "So, which one came from which?"

"The one with bluish spots came from the human male. The symbiote with reddish strips came from the human woman."

"Are they… awake?" Jack waved vaguely at the two motionless serpentine bodies as they seem to hang suspended in their tanks.

"Their bodies are currently in a state of suspended animation but their minds are active."

"Good." Jack gave a nod of approval. "Were you able to do anything about my idea?"

"Indeed I was O'Neill," Hel stated with a single nod of her large head. "I have merely to start the projection screen and you can begin. When a symbiote responds to you, you will only hear their voice through the speakers. When the symbiote is recalling an incident, you will view their memory as well as hear their thoughts at that time."

"Like the memory recall device. Excellent," Jack said with brutal satisfaction. "Let's get this show on the road."

"There is no road here O'Neill," Hel stated with puzzlement.

Jack waved his hand dismissing the point. "I'll explain later."

Taking a step closer to the cylinder tank housing the symbiote with bluish spots Jack tapped a finger hard against the glass like surface, "Hey Ocean, wakey, wakey."

"O'Neill? What is the meaning of this outrage?" Oceanus's voice blasted through the ship's speakers.

Hel reached for a stone and adjusted the volume.

"Outrage?" Jack snorted. "I told you Ocean, either you told me of your own free will or we did it the hard way and I rip everything from your mind. Fitting isn't it? Using Goa'uld tactics on a goa'uld."

"You cannot do this! The Asgärd cannot interfere! We have a treaty!" Oceanus protested.

"You are mistaken." Hel stated coolly. "By our laws a single person is legally permitted to aiding another individual of a different species with their own resources. As it is goa'uld, the treaty between our people has been negated."

"**What**?" the incredulous demand came from both Oceanus and Athena.

Jack waved a hand dismissing the point, still angry about Weir fumbling that. You would think that if the woman had negotiated dozens of treaties on Earth between hostile nations she would not have made such a blunder when negotiating with aliens. He hoped she would not make such errors in the Pegasus Galaxy.

"So Ocean, why'd you kidnap my children?" Jack asked getting down to business.

"Because of your lover," Oceanus was unable to keep himself from answering promptly and honestly.

"My lover?" Jack made a face before making the connection to Kerry. "What does Johnson have to do with this?"

A scene flickered to life on one of the monitors.

"That is for Athena, O'Neill," Hel reported the identity of the memory's origins.

Jack watched the scene, listening to Athena's thoughts and the telephone conversation she'd had with Oceanus, and came to the conclusion that the kidnapping had been prompted by Kerry's background check.

"So because Johnson got curious you thought to kidnap my kids?" It reassured him on one level, as apparently the goa'ulds had had no suspicions before then about the siblings' heritage.

"Yes," Oceanus answered.

"What would have happened after you kidnapped them?"

"I examined them using Nirrti's_ lo'taur_ tester to determine genetic health," Oceanus replied. "They proved to be superior human specimens and I decided to raise them to serve as _lo'taurs_ and hosts."

Jack hands clenched into fists at the coolly stated reason. "So taking them as future hosts wasn't the main reason?"

"No," Oceanus answered. "Securing them guaranteed that you would comply with our demands."

"And your demands?"

The second screen flickered to life and Oceanus's memories began to play.

Jack watched everything unfold intently. Every now and then he paced the length of the bridge and massaged his aching chest, still sore from the car accident. At times he asked the symbiotes to clarify certain memories on the screen and slowly he obtained the entire story from the two goa'ulds.

The near complete infiltration of the Trust after the symbiote poison fiasco and the various plans they had to conquer Earth. Most upsetting for Jack was learning that Ba'al had fled to Earth after his defeat over Dakara. Ba'al—beyond doing multiple Lokis—had also created the naquadah signature suppressing drug and now essentially controlled the Trust organisation as he worked on rebuilding his galactic domain.

Oceanus had his own dreams of domination that of course did not coincide with Ba'al's, but Jack was pretty certain from the symbiote's own memories that Oceanus was a minor player in the Trust network, valuable only because of his host and his host's financial resources.

Neither Oceanus or Athena had ever been a major player amongst the Goa'uld.

Four hours after he had started his questioning, Jack was satisfied for the time being. "Thanks a bunch Ocean. That should help me nicely with hunting down your friends and old bounce."

Hel flicked off the audio. "Are you satisfied O'Neill?"

"For the moment, I may have more questions later. But for now, knowing about Ba'al and who's been infested should allow me to start the mop up." Jack's face was grim. Mop up was going to be a big problem, the Trust, as he was thinking of this group of Earth bound and organised goa'ulds, were more numerous than the CIA analysts had even considered. Far, far too many people were learning about or being impacted by the programme. He did not think they would be able to keep it secret for much longer.

Not as long as asshole groups like the Trust kept interfering. If only he could make the programme a military operation with no civilian groups they would not keep having such breaches in security. As it was, there were too many fingers in the proverbial pie.

It would be an argument he would take to the IOA at their next meeting. He had after all, ample evidence from Oceanus and Athena at just how far Trust tentacles stretched. Finances would be a problem but they always were an issue.

But it looked like he'd better order Areas 51 and 52 to switch off the grid to the naquadah generators… The programme was about to get a surplus of the material after all, Jack mused as he thought about a certain tower in downtown Seattle that Athena had told him about. He would also investigate, now that Carter was there, if Area 51 was able to pump out some more reverse engineered technology into the Earth market to make more money…

"God, when did I become a politician?" Jack wondered aloud with a tired sigh as he turned to Hel to tell her he was ready to return home.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**Detachment 3, Air Force Flight Test Center, ****Nevada Test and Training Range, NV  
June 10, 2005  
Morning**

Sam looked at the Goa'uld characters streaming past on her computer screen as she adjusted the phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. "You're confident that the linguists here have translated it right Daniel?"

"Yes Sam," Daniel repeated patiently on the other end of the phone line. "I've gone over it—twice—just for you even though I should be working on the Nalini treaty draft. I don't know why you're so interested in this. It's just mostly medical jargon as far as I can tell."

"Nothing really big Daniel," Sam soothed as her fingers clicked on the keyboard in front of her, pulling up the English translation to run alongside the Goa'uld simultaneously on a different monitor. "I just wanted to make certain that they had it right. They were also happy to hear that you're so pleased with their translation. You're something of a hero to the linguists here."

"Yeah, well," Daniel said faintly, embarrassed by the praise. His tone of voice turning more serious as he questioned Sam again about the ordeal she had undergone ten days ago. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Sam stated exasperated, tired of rehashing the incident. "I already told you, besides being kidnapped I was just kept tied up all the time. No drugs, no torture, just threatening words from the Trust operatives that watched over me every now and then. I only ever saw Oceanus once, shortly after the street thugs grabbed me, and never even knew about Athena."

It was the truth. Other than the initial terror that she had been kidnapped for more medical experimentation, her time as a captive had been almost as boring as sitting in an alien cell waiting for SGC to negotiate SG-1's release. The reason for her capture had been as patiently stupid as the ones for sitting in one of those off-world cells. She had been seen and recognised by the Trust operative in the limo and Oceanus had arranged to have her captured because she had sensed naquadah in the vehicle.

She had suspicions there was more than that reason—Kinsey had been infested by a goa'uld after all—but she had not known until a comment made in passing by Barrett, once rescued, had confirmed that Oceanus had also been the one that had arranged for the kidnapping of Emily and Tyler O'Neill.

Hearing Major Altman and SG-5 stormed the room she was being held in had been a relief from the tedium of being guarded twenty-four seven. Learning that the general had commanded the rescue op had simply confirmed once again her faith that her team would come for her.

Once the goa'ulds had been secured General O'Neill had been understandably focused on his children—neither of which she had seen—and she had only met up with him along with Colonel Masiello for the debriefing on Oceanus and Athena's disappearance. When Masiello had departed to interrogate Oceanus the general had held her back and questioned her directly about her ordeal and how she was fairing. Questions from everyone else that were getting tedious.

"Dr Lam and the doctors here confirmed that there was nothing done to me and Masiello still made me take a few days off after the General left before allowing me back on base," Sam complained to Daniel.

"Sam, we're just concerned about you."

Sam sighed tiredly as she rubbed her forehead. "I know Daniel, but you and Pete and everyone else keep asking me and it's getting tiring."

"I'm sorry," Daniel stated and tried to steer the conversation away from the kidnapping incident. "How is Pete by the way? Are we getting invitations any time soon?"

"Pete's fine. I spent the weekend in Denver last weekend enduring his and his family's coddling," Sam muttered with remembered disgust. Pete's mother Hilda had driven her up the wall with her soliciting, walking-on-eggshells attitude and she did not think she had ever been so thankful to get on a three-hour flight back to work.

Upon returning to Nevada she had discovered that she had missed all the excitement of HWS sources locating a building in downtown Seattle, the Halcyon Tower, constructed of Earth materials and naquadah by Ba'al. From what she had read of Julia Donovan's article in the _Insider's Access_ was that the tower's demolition had been explained as owing to a flawed superstructure because it had been laced with an 'unstable' synthetic material when the building's owners had cut construction costs. A good a cover story as any the programme had ever come up with.

Sam turned her thoughts back to the Daniel's question to answer him. "Invitations have been ordered and I'll be working with Cassie on selecting a bridesmaid's dress in the next week or so."

"Just Cassie as your bridesmaid?"

"Yeah, Pete offered his sisters but I barely know them," Sam dismissed with a shrug. "Amy will be our flower girl… oh darn, forgot about getting her a dress." Sam ruffled through the papers on her desk for a notepad and upon locating one and a pen wrote a note to call Mark's wife Laura about her niece's measurements. She could order the dress at the same time as Cassie's as most bridal shops she had visited online and in person seemed to coordinate the bridesmaid and flower girl's dresses.

"Amy…?" Daniel trailed off questioning.

"My niece," Sam mumbled as she nibbled on the end of her pen. "She's ten now. Surely I've mentioned her before?" Raising her eyes from the note she had just made her attention was caught by a particular phrase on the computer screen before her. "Daniel… I've got to go. I just got an interesting reading from one of the machines Oceanus had."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later Sam," Daniel said obligingly.

"Yeah, later," Sam said her mind already on what she was reading as she carelessly returned the phone to its cradle. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she entered more search parameters and called up more data from the DNA reader that Oceanus had had.

"What the…" Sam said quietly as she read the DNA reader's final results. They couldn't be right.

MATERNITY OF FEMALE ONE AND MALE ONE CONFIRMED  
TO BE FEMALE TWO AT 99.99% PROBABILITY.

She knew from examining the tablet that her decoded genome had been stored in that 'Female Two' referred to herself. Female One and Male One were obviously the general's two children, Emily and Tyler. But… **maternity**?

Sam turned a considering look to the pyramidal shaped DNA reader sitting on one of her lab desks. Turning back to the monitors in front of her, she picked up the phone again and dialled an internal number.

"Hi, Dr Barkway? This is Colonel Carter speaking. Could you come down to my lab for a minute?"

"Yes Colonel," the female voice of a senior scientist on base responded. Doctor Nancy Barkway was currently involved in extracting naquadah from the Earth metals from the Halcyon Tower and was wondering why Colonel Carter was requesting her presence. "May I ask what for?"

"I want to check the validity of the DNA reader we just secured." Sam went back to looking at the probability statistic. Hanging up the phone she dialled the security command center and gave one more order, "Airman, have Captain Barkway report to my lab."

. . .

Two hours later, with Sam operating the necessary naquadah cued parts of the DNA reader, both she and Dr Barkway had come to the conclusion that the machine was accurate. Scanning both Nancy and Captain Dean Barkway had given a 99.99% probability of relation between mother and son.

"Too bad the device is Goa'uld," Dr Barkway mused as she studied the results one more time. "It is much more thorough than our own DNA testing and would have readily application in the field. But that seems to be the way these devices go, it either needs to be reverse engineered or is broken."

Sam could not disagree with that observation.

"Might I suggest though that we see if there are more personnel related to each other on base to test and see the probability percentage it gives for siblings and cousins?" Nancy suggested.

"We already know what the reader gave for the general's twins," Sam observed, "but it is a wise suggestions. To perform more analyses and compare with the known results."

"I shall make the request of Colonel Masiello then?" Dr Barkway asked politely.

"Please do," Sam responded giving the older woman a polite smile. "I don't know how long it will take to go through on base personnel records but using the reader's wand took a bit out of me and I think I should go and eat a large lunch."

Nancy's expression turned to one of concern, well aware of Sam's recent ordeal and having witnessed the intensity needed by the colonel to operate the Goa'uld machine. "Do you need to see Dr Rude?" she asked naming DET 3's chief medical officer.

Sam waved Barkway's concern away with a casual hand. "No, I'm just feeling a bit hungry, that's all."

"Well if you're sure…" Nancy said reluctantly as she headed for the door.

"Positive," Sam said surely with a confident smile. "I'll see you in a bit."

As soon as the older woman and her son cleared the doorway and exited the lab Sam turned back to look at the machine with a grim expression on her face. She had not told the Barkways about why she had wanted to test the reader. And while more testing would be good, she did not think it would prove the first results she had read were in error. In fact, she would not tell anyone. Not until she was able to speak to a certain general about a certain result about **maternity**.


	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**Backyard, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
June 11, 2005  
Late Morning**

Hearing the chiming of his front door from his place seated on a lounging chair on his backyard patio, Jack cast one last look at Tyler and Emily playing happily in the sandbox before heading back through the house. Reaching his front door, he turned the knob and opened it. Jack's left eyebrow rocketed upwards at seeing who was standing on his front steps.

"Carter."

"Sir," the blonde woman was casually dressed in faded blue jeans and a rose coloured blouse. Her fingers worried the bottom of her shirt as she looked him in the eye, "May I come in?"

"Sure." Jack took a step back to permit her entrance and moved towards the kitchen. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Ah, no Sir." Sam moved into the house, her blue eyes taking in the cozy furnishings and children's toys scattered about in piles here and there on the floor.

"Okay, if this is going to take a while, we should move into the backyard," Jack looked at her curiously.

"Yes Sir. It might," Sam stated.

Jack nodded slowly and led the way to the backyard. As they stepped onto the back patio, Sam realised why Jack had said their talk had to take place outside. Two children with identical golden-brown hair and distinguishable at this distance only by their red and pink shirts were playing in a sandbox.

Sam's breath caught. This had been the first time that she had seen either of the twins.

"The one in the red is Tyler," Jack said softly seeing where she was looking as he retook his seat on the lounging chair. "Emily is wearing pink."

Sam tore her eyes away from the sight of the twins to look at her former team commander. Her eyes took in his casual position on his lounger, jean clad legs stretched out before him and white t-shirt hugging his torso. Jack reached for a tall glass containing what she was sure was ice water instead of the bottle of beer she had come to expect from other visits to his house in the Springs.

"Actually, Sir," Sam took a deep breath and plunged into the reason she had flown more than five hours between Nevada and Virginia. "I wanted to talk to you about them."

"What about them?" Jack asked obliquely. "You going to be like Daniel, wanting to know why I didn't tell you guys about them?"

"Yes. No." Sam shook her head at her own answers. "I mean, yes I want to know why you didn't tell us. But no, that isn't the reason why I'm here."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here because of Oceanus." Seeing no reaction from Jack she forged onwards. "More precisely about one of his machines."

"What machine? Those snakes had a bit of hoard in Luxor." Jack stated blandly.

"A DNA reader."

Jack sipped from his glass as one eyebrow rose upwards questioningly.

"The machine was a DNA reader."

"You're certain that's what it was?"

"Yes Sir, I spent all yesterday testing it and confirming those tests."

"Oh?"

Feeling Jack was being even more obstinate than usual Sam forced herself to suppress the growl that threatened to escape from the back of her throat. "Yes Sir," she said through nearly gritted teeth. "What those tests confirmed was that according to the device there is a 99.99% 'probability' of **me** being the children's mother."

Sam's blue eyes turned into laser beams as they bore into Jack's brown ones. "Why does it say those twins," Sam stabbed a finger in the children's direction, "are mine?"

Jack kept his eyes locked with hers as he set his glass down on the table beside the lounger. After a long and uncomfortable staring contest Sam was the first to look away. The silence dragged on and Sam shifted her weight uncomfortably from foot to foot as she studied the wood of the patio underfoot.

"Would it really matter if they were?" Jack finally questioned idly.

"Of course it would!" Sam exclaimed as she looked back into his face, a stunned expression on her face.

"Would it really Carter?" Jack asked in that same, dismissively soft tone. "You're weeks away from marrying your cop and you don't want children."

"What does my marriage have to do with this? And what makes you think I don't want children?" Sam demanded as she fisted her hands on her hips.

"You told me so."

"I told you what?"

"That you didn't want children."

"When'd I do that?"

"Last year," Jack answered as he rose to his feet. "When you showed me the cop's ring."

"I never said anything like that!" she protested.

"That's not what I heard."

"Then you heard wrong!" Sam yelled.

Jack shrugged as he gave her an apathetic look. "It doesn't matter," he repeated. "You're getting married—"

"Damnit Jack!" Sam exploded as she aggressively got right in his face. "It **does** matter! Are they mine?"

"Daddy?" a frightened child's voice from the sandbox interrupted their argument. Both adults turning towards the twins and Jack stepped off the patio and crossed the short distance to where the two were looking fearful, huddled together against a corner of the sandbox.

As he knelt in front of them the twins hurtled themselves at him to cling to Jack's chest.

"Shh, it's okay," Jack soothed as he hugged them reassuringly. "We didn't mean to scare you. Daddy's sorry our voices got so loud."

Sam was not able to hear what the twins said with their faces buried in Jack's neck, but after soothing them some more he managed to coax them into accepting that it was lunchtime and they should all go inside.

The prospect of food seemed to cheer the twins up immensely as they released Jack to allow him to stand. Once their father was standing, each twin took a hand and began tugging him away from the sandbox and into house. Sam trailed in after them, following them to the kitchen that held a small four-person table with two of the chairs replaced by two identical wooden highchairs.

As Jack moved about the kitchen preparing lunch the children underfoot as they chattered away at him, Sam stood in the doorway and watched them. Finally as Jack lifted each twin into their highchair and set their bowl of chunky alphabet soup in front of them, Sam asked again.

"Are they mine Jack?"

Jack paused at the stove and kept his back to her as he spoke, "Carter, how could they be yours? You've never been pregnant. And besides, they aren't really mine. They're my sisters."


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**Hotel Room, Washington, DC  
June 11, 2005  
Afternoon**

Sam sat on the edge of her hotel bed in Washington. Head hanging in her hands as she worked over her confrontation with the general. In particular his last statement, and the concessive information that had followed, that had so confounded her that she had not been able to gather her scattered wits before the general had escorted her from his house saying it was time for her to leave so he could settle the twins into their afternoon nap.

His sister's? The twins that looked so much like Charlie from the pictures on display on his house, were his sister's? Why hadn't Daniel mentioned that fact when they'd spoken together about the general having children? It would have saved her the incomprehension and then stuttering response when Jack had said those words to her less than an hour ago in his kitchen.

Who she thought were Tyler and Emily O'Neill were actually Tyler and Emily Mayer. His sister and brother-in-law had been killed in a car accident back in January of this year and he had become their guardian.

Sam raised her head from her hands. But why then had he toyed with her when asking 'did it matter?' In fact, why did Oceanus's DNA reader say she was the mother of those twins? And why had Oceanus and Athena been transported off base by an Asgärd-like beam and only the hosts returned?

Sam's face hardened as she set her jaw, suddenly determined to solve her questions.

And she knew just were to start. With the DNA samples of the general's that DET 3 had on hand. Samples that was kept to measure the strength of other ATA gene carriers and used to temporarily fool the gene locked technology of the Ancients for accessing low level databases and such.

When the personal cell phone sitting on the bedspread beside her rang Sam flipped it open. She growled underneath her breath when she saw the caller ID. She did not have time to talk with her fiancé as she needed to get back to Nevada but knew he would pester her relentlessly by calling until she answered. Something he had done ever since her kidnapping.

Sam pushed the talk button. "Hi Pete."

"Hi babe," Pete's voice came through clearly. "Where are you? You didn't answer your house phone."

"Doesn't matter," Sam said dismissively. "I won't be coming to Denver this weekend, remember I told you I was going to be shopping for dresses with Cassie."

"I know, I just thought that maybe—"

"Pete, the wedding is on July 3rd. I need to get those dresses this weekend and go for a last fitting of my gown. I'll be down next weekend and we can book transportation and mail the invites then."

"I just want to see you Sam."

"You saw me last weekend Pete," Sam reminded him as she stood up and grabbed her overnight bag from the hotel chair. "Look, I've got to go. I'll call you sometime tonight."

"Promise?"

Sam sighed at his whiny tone. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I just miss you and want to talk."

"Well I'm sorry," Sam exited the hotel room and headed for the lobby to check out, "but I've got to go."

She snapped the phone shut and then powered it down to keep him from calling back. Clipped to her waist was a BlackBerry, a recent purchase that only a select few, like the base, Cassie, and Daniel had the number for, which meant Pete would not be making any calls to it. So she had no concerns about being out of contact with the base with her cell phone powered off.

As she moved up the line at the counter Sam found herself impatiently tapping her foot on the tile floor, eager to get back to Nevada.

. . .

Having put Emily and Tyler down for their afternoon nap Jack found himself at loose ends as he leaned against the glass door of the backyard patio. Unsettled from the earlier and very unexpected appearance of Carter on his doorstep.

He knew in retrospect he had handled her questions horribly. It would have been better if he had just said that they were his niece and nephew as he'd done when they had move to the kitchen and explained the whole thing about the Mayers.

But being face to face with her and her questions… it had disturbed his mental equilibrium more than any undercover mission ever had. A fact he cursed, knowing that it was with her and the other two of his old team that he needed those deception skills the most for.

No one would ever hear from him the truth of the siblings' creation. No one.

Their safety depended upon it.

Kerry was out of his life now. Had been since he had been released from the hospital, and with the official reprimand in her files at using official resources to investigate a personal issue—her lover's children—he knew that she had gotten the warning from himself and that black mark on her record and would keep her mouth shut.

After recovering the siblings his next concern had been the goa'ulds themselves knowing and revealing that knowledge when the AF debriefed them. He shuddered to know how the AF would have reacted and what scrutiny they would have given to Emily and Tyler's fabricated background and questions they would ask of him.

Jack thanked whatever true gods out there that Hel had not been averse to removing the goa'ulds from their hosts before the debriefing could happen. And while Hel's interference was a risk itself, no one had been able to positively ID the transportation method or had Kinsey or Mayfield been aware that they had been beamed onboard an Asgärd ship.

Jack run a hand though his greyed hair and sighed heavily—pleased his ribs no longer protested at the deep breath. They had healed well from Athena's staged car accident.

There were too many pieces to this lie and it just kept getting more complicated. If more lies were added to this already carefully constructed house of lies then he knew, that like all complicated lies, it would come tumbling down like the proverbial house of cards.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive," Jack muttered beneath his breath as the hand he had raked though his hair dropped to his side. Turning from gazing out at his small backyard, he headed into the house and up the stairs to the photo frame that held a picture of the twins beside his bed and shared the table space with an older picture of Charlie.

It was a picture of Tyler and Emily playing in their wading pool some weeks ago, snapped by Kerry as the twins did their best to douse him with buckets of water. The frame was a beach themed with painted sky and sand and beach pebbles and a shell decorating it: ordinary. Or so it looked.

Jack rubbed one of his fingers over a particularly pearly coloured pebble. The stone registered his genetic signature and transmitted it to the Asgärd vessel in planetary orbit. As he set the frame back down onto the table a disembodied voice inquired:

"O'Neill?"

"Hel, I want to talk with Oceanus again. About some of the tech he had with him in Nevada."

"Certainly O'Neill. I shall have him prepared for your questioning."

"Thank you Hel, and could you plan the session for tonight? After the twins have gone to bed?"

"I shall O'Neill."


	27. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**Living Room, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
June 14, 2005  
Evening**

Jack had just settled into watching an episode of _The Simpsons_ when someone suddenly leaned on his doorbell. Insisting on entrance. Growling beneath his breath at the interruption Jack set his Guinness on the coffee table and rose to his feet ignoring the cracking sound his knee made. He had been sitting in office chairs for too many days lately and the joint had started to stiffen up again.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Jack shouted at the unknown visitor. "Hold your horses!"

The doorbell continued to ring and with a growl Jack yanked the door open and was stunned for the second time in so many days by Sam's appearance on his doorstep.

A furious looking Sam who was glaring at him like he had suddenly become evil incarnate.

"Like **hell** they're your sister's, **General**!" Sam lambasted furiously, the finger adorned by her engagement ring thumping Jack on the chest as she spat out his rank.

"Colonel," Jack barked authoritatively. "What's the meaning of this?"

"Meaning? Meaning?" Sam's voice rose close to a shriek on the last word. "I'll tell you the meaning of this **Sir**!" She thrust a folder at his chest and stepped aggressively forward.

Jack fumbled for the file as he took a step backwards and Sam pushed past him into his house. "Come in Carter," Jack said snidely as he turned to follow her, file in hand.

Entering the living room he had just vacated he found Sam standing rigidly in the room with her hands fisted at her side as she pinned him with an expression fit for the battlefield. "So, what's this?" Jack asked as he waved the papers in the air.

"Why don't you read it to find out?" Sam snapped.

Jack gave her a level look before leafing through the pages and recognising nothing, just incomprehensible pages of analysis reports; he tossed the file onto the coffee table. "Summarise it for me Carter."

"Those **Sir**, are the tests I ran with Oceanus's DNA reader and conventional human tests." Sam stated silkily. "Tests on my DNA and the twins' genetic sequence that was in the Goa'uld tablets. Tests that again and again when tested with other known mothers and children, confirm the mother's maternity—using goa'uld or human tech. But the first tests in that file," Sam stabbed a finger at the file lying on the coffee table between them, "are **paternity** tests. One I ran between two children and **yourself**."

Jack's expression closed off. His face becoming harder than granite.

"I think you know exactly what that test says, don't you **General**?" Sam snarled out his rank. "The same things mine did—99.99% probability of parenthood!"

"You had no right to perform such tests and certainly no authorisation to use my DNA for such tests," Jack growled.

"Please!" Sam flapped a hand dismissively. "Your DNA is on file at DET 3 and the paperwork clearly defines it's available to be utilised with Ancient tech and DNA research by the researchers on base. And that's exactly what I did," Sam snarled as she rounded the coffee table, "a little DNA research!"

"Carter—"

"Tell me Sir," Sam demanded as she got right into his face, "why does all the research I do say those twins are not only **mine**, but **ours**?"

White light flooded the living room and when it cleared the silvery walls of an Asgärd vessel confined them.

"Hel!" Jack roared angrily as he whipped about to face the bridge console. His anger was arrested when he saw not the dark skinned form of Hel, but the lighter and equally familiar body of Thor.

"Greetings O'Neill," the Supreme Commander of the Asgärd Fleet greeted, inclining his large head towards Jack. The large head and dark eyes of Thor then turned to Sam, "Greetings to you Colonel Carter."

"Thor," Sam forced herself to greet the alien calmly as her anger at Jack bubbled just beneath the surface.

"Thor, what's going on?" Jack asked his anger still evident in his voice.

"I believe it is time to discuss certain matters with Colonel Carter," Thor responded placidly and moved a stone on the console in front of him. White light illuminated Jack and when it vanished the general was gone.

"Where'd you send him?" Sam questioned.

"I sent him to join Hel." Thor answered calmly.

"Hell?" Sam recognised the term from when they had materialised on the ship. "So he wasn't just swearing that you transported us aboard."

"No, O'Neill was not. He believed that it had been Commander Hel, who he has many dealings with, who transported you."

"So it was an Asgärd that transported Kinsey and Mayfield from DET 3," Sam exclaimed.

"Indeed it was," Thor confirmed placidly. "But now Colonel Carter, the reason why I brought you aboard must be addressed." He moved a stone and a simple char materialised beside the standing human woman. "Please, sit. This will take much time to explain."

Worried now, Sam took a seat on the provided chair and looked at Thor expectantly. "Will you answer my question Thor—are the twins ours?"

"They are not twins, but yes, the children are offspring of yourself and O'Neill."

"You swore there would be no more cloning!" Sam accused. "The marker you implanted in the General should have prevented it anyway!"

"They are not clones Colonel Carter," Thor chided. "I have already stated that they are your offspring. Made not from cloning your DNA but from fertilisation of your gametes."

Sam was relieved that she was already sitting down upon hearing that news. "So, they're really our children."

"That is correct Colonel Carter," Thor stated. "But I have digressed from the order of events and believe you will understand once you know the whole story. As you know we only continue to exist though cloning which creates a new physical body that the mind of one of us inhabits."

Sam nodded, knowing of this from when they and the Asgärd had combated Anubis four years ago, "Which has lead to genetic decay over the centuries."

"Correct, we were able to combat it for a time by introducing a mutation and with the discovery of Ellri in the Adara System we have made even greater progress. That progress however is not readily believed, or believed to be happing at a sufficient enough rate to satisfy all Asgärd. One such individual as you know is Loki."

Nodding, Sam well remembered Loki's kidnapping and cloning of Jack and the fiasco that it had led to—the only positive note of the incident was that the true alien abductions from Earth for experimentation had been stopped with the arrest of the renegade scientist.

"What we were unaware of was that during an earlier visit to Earth, Loki used the transport beam to extract what he believed to be sufficient enough quantities of O'Neill's and your gametes."

"He stole my eggs," Sam realised in horror.

"That is correct. It was only some time later that he decided to clone O'Neill." Thor stated and then began to tell the tale that he had told Jack many months ago.


	28. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Onboard the **_**Daniel Jackson**_**, Earth Orbit  
June 14, 2005  
Late Evening**

Both hesitant and still angry, Sam paused in the doorway of the room that Jack stood within. The long and revealing conversation with Thor had finished some twenty minutes ago; which was how long it had taken her to marshal her thoughts and girdle her loins to approach the general. Jack's back was to the door as he leaned his forehead against the massive window-like wall that provided a stunning view of the planet below.

Gathering her courage Sam entered the room and made her way to stand beside him. Her eyes also fixing on the green, blue, and white colours of Earth as seen from orbit.

"I still don't know why you didn't tell me about them," Sam spoke softly.

"I told you before Carter," Jack rumbled tiredly, "you didn't want children and most importantly, you were getting married."

"I still don't know why you think I don't want children, so I'll state it now—I do."

Jack snorted but did not take his eyes off Earth. Silence descended between them for a time before Jack spoke again.

"In the end, it doesn't matter—you're getting married. If you want children, I'm sure your cop would be only too happy to give them to you."

"You keep saying that."

"Saying what?"

"That I'm getting married," Sam stated as she looked at the profile of his face.

"It's true Carter, you are getting married. July 3rd is the date isn't it?"

"But what does that have to do with anything?"

Jack finally looked at her with an incredulous expression on his face. "Excuse me? How the heck would you have explained Emily and Tyler to your fiancé?"

"I would have told him the truth—"

"Carter, he isn't authorised to know the truth!" Jack cried out. "All he's allowed to know about is the basics of the programme itself. Nothing about day-to-day operations, ongoing missions, and certainly nothing about other alien races beside the snakes. It's in that damn form he signed."

Sam looked down at the floor at his chastisement.

"And if you couldn't tell him the circumstances, do you really think that he'd be so accepting of suddenly learning that you had twin children? That you had never told him about? And that you had had them with your **commanding officer** none the less? And the military had done **nothing **about the violation of the frat regs?"

She had to acknowledge that those were very valid points, ones she was not able to think of answers to. Especially considering her detective fiancé's pestering curiosity.

"He wouldn't have Carter," Jack said tiredly as he looked back at Earth. "He would have ran a goddamn trace on them just like he did on you. And I will not allow **anything** to harm them. Even if it meant protecting them from their mother's husband by lying to their mother."

Knowing as she did of Charlie and what people like Daniel had said of the devastating effect his son's death had had on him, she could only imagine the ferocity that he would use now to protect his children. Suddenly she frowned, her mind picking up on one other thing he had said. "Trace? What trace?"

Jack mentally cursed his Freudian slip but he could not retract it. Not if there was going to be honesty between them. "Hammond told me that after the Osiris Op at Daniel's a year and a half ago that someone in the FBI department had run a background trace on you. It was only after Hammond had authorised the disclosure to the cop that our investigation revealed that the FBI agent had done it on Shannon's behalf."

Sam paled and asked shakily. "When was the trace done?"

"It was requested a day before the op," Jack shrugged. His expression turned to one of alarm as Sam turned even whiter and waved unsteadily on her feet. "Whoa there Carter," he reached out and caught hold of her arm to steady her. "Easy now."

"It was just a day before the op?" Sam's tone was pleading with him to lie to her, and tell her it hadn't been that day. "You're certain."

"Yes Carter, I'm certain. I'm still dealing with the aftermath at HWS ʼcause the policy about the matter is still being debated and have read the report one too many times."

"I think I'm going to be sick Sir," Sam said faintly.

Jack yelped, "No you're not. Sit on the floor and put your head between your knees," he guided her down and crouched beside her, ignoring the protest of his knees. "Now take deep breaths."

Sam did so, the steady breathing she did and Jack's hand rubbing soothing circles on her back grounding her, the dizziness and sick feeling fading. Fading to be replaced by a burning flush of shame as she mumbled under her breath, "God, Sir, I can't believe I was so **stupid**."

"Hey Carter, you're never stupid." Jack stated with conviction.

Sam refused to look at him as she confessed, "Yes I am Sir. Pete ran the trace the morning after I slept with him the first time if what you're telling me is true."

Jack's hand paused rubbing circles on her back. Disquieted to be told when she had first had sex with Shanahan and by what was meant by the cop running the trace after being in bed with her.

Sam scrubbed her hands over her face, through her hair, and then lifted her head to look at him. Her face twisted into an expression of self-loathing, "Guess I really do go for the lunatic fringe, huh Sir?"

Jack sought for the words to reassure her in his mind. "It's not your fault Carter, for trusting him—he's a police detective for cryin' out loud. It's his fault for not trusting you. For not stopping at the boundaries you placed. At the boundaries he knew, as a cop, not to cross."

"That doesn't make me feel better Sir," Sam confessed sadly. "It still says I have crappy taste in men—or at least, in judging men. Has… has he done anything else?"

Jack shook his head. There was nothing that he knew about but that did not mean Shanahan had not done more, like his stalking at the Osiris Op and who knew when and where else.

"But Sir, why didn't you or General Hammond tell me?"

Jack sighed and looked away from her questioning and accusatory blue eyes. "By the time we knew that it had been the cop and not a legal FBI inquiry, you were seriously dating. And then…"

"And what Sir," Sam prompted after he trailed off.

Jack's mouth twisted. "I just wanted you to be happy and being with him made you happy."

"Everyone seems to say that," Sam grumbled. "That they want me happy, that I **should **be happy."

"You should Carter, everyone deserves to know happiness."

"Do you Sir, do you know happiness? You deserve it as much as I do if everyone does."

"I knew it," Jack said with a distant look in his eye. A look that said his memories were lingering on times long past. "And I know it again."

Sam had to look away when he said that, "The twins and Kerry?"

"Kerry?" Jack genuinely sounded confused.

Sam turned back to look at him at his tone and could not keep herself from prompting, "Kerry Johnson?"

Jack shook his head. "No, just the twins. Kerry's gone. Has been since the twins were kidnapped."

"Gone," Sam blinked, stunned by the revelation and the euphoric feeling that swelled within her.


	29. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Onboard the **_**Daniel Jackson**_**, Earth Orbit  
June 14, 2005  
Late Evening**

Sam reined in her euphoric feelings at hearing the CIA agent was no longer in the general's life and made herself say, "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Jack's expression hardened, indicating that it had not been an amicable parting judging by the latent anger in his face.

When he did not speak after a long while, Sam questioned, "So now what?"

"Now what, what?" Jack asked.

"What happens now? Now that I know about Loki, and the twins, and Pete."

Jack shrugged as he removed his hand from her back and finally rose from his crouched position. His knees popping noisily and he grimaced at the pain. "That's up to you Carter."

"How is it up to me?" Sam demanded as she too rose to her feet. "According to the law the twins are your children, your niece and nephew."

Jack looked at her questioningly.

Sam understood the look as her shoulder lifted in a half-shrug. "I won't tell anyone. I read, and was told by Thor, what was done to craft the twins' background. I'm not going to do anything that would remove the safety net those lies give them."

"Thank you," Jack said sincerely.

What she did not add was that she was certain it would be dangerous to her health, and would absolutely kill the tenuous relationship between them. Neither were things she wanted to do. "But, I am their mother… and… and I want to know them."

"How?" Jack challenged.

"I don't know, I have to think about this some more." Sam worried the engagement ring on her finger. "You've had months to get used to the idea that you're a father again—and have been a father for those months—I've only had hours to know that I'm a mother…"

"Okay," Jack nodded slowly. "Why don't we talk about this later, once you've had more time to think?"

"How much later?"

"Whenever you think you've had enough time. But don't take too long Carter," Jack added wryly, "I don't think I could stand the stress."

She gave him a weak smile and nodded. "I've already spoken with Thor, and as I didn't bring anything with me when I caught the plane, he'll beam me right back to my house."

"All right then Carter, all right."

Looking at him as he regarded her, Sam finally gave a jerky nod of her head and exited the room to go inform Thor that she was ready to leave. Jack turned back to gazing out the transparent wall at Earth below.

He heard the soft footsteps of an asgärd before he saw the darker reflection of Hel in the reflective surface of the wall she approached. Crossing the room to his side the dark skinned alien joined him in appreciating the view before speaking.

"Thor has informed the Council that Colonel Carter now knows of Líf and Lífthrasier. Do you believe you will have a relationship with her now that she knows?"

Jack frowned as he turned his head to look down at Hel.

"What do you mean?"

"In our studies of your planet—is not a family unit comprised of a father, mother, and offspring?"

"That's how it used to be, mostly." Jack admitted. "But not anymore. Besides, she's marrying in a few weeks… at most, all she could be to the twins is an honorary auntie… with her husband in the picture."

"And if he was not?"

Jack did not answer that. He turned his head back to the window and leaned his forehead against the transparent wall, squeezing his eyes shut at the thoughts that tormented like Tantalus had been, a dream that was forever out of reach. A dream of being more than superior and subordinate and cautious friends…

. . .

Three days after talking with Jack onboard Thor's ship, Sam disembarked from her flight from Las Vegas to Denver for her promised weekend visit with Pete and his family. She thought she knew what she was going to tell the general, but would know for sure after this weekend was over. After she spoke with Pete about a few things.

Making her way to the baggage carousel, she claimed her small duffel bag while scanning the crowd for Pete's face. She finally spotted him seated in one of the multitude of benches having what seemed to be a heated conversation in his phone.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she strolled towards him, reaching his side as he hung up with an annoyed expression on his face. "Hi Pete."

His expression immediately brightened as he rose to greet her. "Hi Sam. Sorry, I didn't see you disembark."

"That's fine," Sam dismissed and gestured at the phone he was still holding. "Was that something I should know about…?"

Pete shook his head as he holstered the device on his belt and stepped forward to sling an arm around her waist. "No. Just an argument with Jamie about something I bought recently."

"Oh really," Sam said as Pete led her to his car. She had been introduced on her last visit to Pete's brother Jamie with his sleeve tattoos and leather—the wild one in the Shanahan family with its distinguished history of law enforcement in Denver. Actually, when she considered it, she did not even think that any of the Shanahan's had given her a straight answer about what Jamie did for a living.

After they climbed into the car and Pete began navigating the streets Sam realised when they got into the suburbs of Denver that they were not headed towards his apartment or his parent's house where they were expected for a family dinner. "Pete, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Pete said with a happy and mysterious smile. Some minutes later they pulled up in front of a two-story house with a realtor's sign in front marking it as SOLD. "Come on Sam," Pete beckoned as he bounced out of the car.

Slowly Sam exited the passenger side and joined him at the front gate.

"What do you think?" Pete excitedly gestured at the house.

"Uh, well, uh…" Sam stammered in shook.

"Speechless, huh?" Pete grinned happily.

"Yeah." Sam forced herself to answer.

"Isn't it great? Remember our first night together? You described the house you always wanted?" Pete chatted on.

"I can't believe this," Sam was forced to confess, knowing that it was nothing less than the truth. Though probably not the truth that Pete really wanted to know as he swung open the gate and started down the walkway to the front door.

"The kitchen isn't yellow, but we can paint. Come on, I'll show you," Pete exclaimed as he mounted the front steps to the door, leaving Sam behind who had halted in the middle the front lawn to stare at her fiancé's back incredulously. "And you're not gonna believe the backyard. The dog's gonna love it."

"Dog?" Sam echoed faintly as she was still in shock, but growing, strengthening and competing with that shock was anger. She had come to Denver to ask a few questions but now this… this almost answered her question for her, didn't it?

They had not discussed purchasing a house together—hadn't even decided where they were going to live after the wedding! Sam set her lower jaw and marched after Pete who had already vanished into the house.


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

**Suburbs, Denver, CO  
June 17, 2005  
Afternoon**

Sam found Pete standing proudly in the living room of the house he had just purchased. She ignored the enormous, childish grin of satisfaction on his face and stated crossly: "Pete you and I have to talk."

"Talk about what?" Pete asked as the pride and enthusiasm on his face was slightly clouded by puzzlement.

"Pete, why did you buy this house?"

"Sam, you said it's what you wanted—"

"No Pete. Why did you buy it? Why did you buy it here? Why did you pay for it without even asking me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I just said Pete," Sam resisted the urge to grit her teeth. "You bought a house Pete—this house—**without asking me**! You bought it and we haven't even decided where we're going to live yet!"

"I thought you'd be happy that I—"

"Happy?" Sam shouted angrily. "I am not happy."

"Why?" Pete's face was now full of confusion.

"We did not talk about—you did not ask me. Marriage is about doing things together Pete—especially big things like buying a house!"

"But you've been so busy with work—"

"That doesn't matter Pete!" Sam cut him off again. "I'm sorry if I don't move quickly enough for you, but I don't make impulse buys! Especially with a price tag like a house has!"

"I'm sorry," Pete muttered as he looked down at the floor in the face of her anger.

"Sorry doesn't cut it Pete. Not in this."

"Why not?" Pete's brow furled in perplexity.

"Pete, you made a major decision about our lives **without asking me**. If you do something like this—how can I trust that you won't do it again—and most importantly, that you really respect my decisions?"

"I do respect you Sam!" Pete protested.

"Do you Pete? Do you really?" Sam asked as her voice dropped in volume and grew deadly soft.

"Of course I do!" Pete exclaimed. "You're my fiancée!"

"Then I want you to explain something to me—"

"I already told you, I bought the house because I thought it would make you happy!" Pete shouted in frustration.

"That wasn't what I was going to ask," Sam squared her shoulders and faced him. "I was going to ask why you ran a background check on me back in January of last year."

Pete's open mouth snapped shut with a clink of teeth.

"The day after I first slept with you," Sam drove the next point home in the same deadly voice, her blue eyes icy hard.

The silence grew between them. Pete rapidly looked at her, the floor, and elsewhere in the room his eyes never staying on any object for long. Sam held her stance patiently, letting her fiancé fidget uncomfortably. She would not be the one that broke the silence—he would answer her with none of his usual avoidance tactics.

"I was just curious," Pete mumbled under his breath then looked up at her and spoke more clearly, "there's no harm in that is there?"

"No harm? No harm?" Sam nearly choked on the anger that swelled in her chest. "Pete. You. Are. A. Police officer! You know very well the harm that can come from something like that!"

Pete's gaze skittered away again.

"You ever heard the phrase—curiosity killed the cat?" Sam took an aggressive step forward. "And in this case, satisfaction** isn't** going to bring it back."

"Sorry," Pete mumbled before turning aggressive himself. "But you wouldn't tell me anything!"

"Pete! I work for the Air Force! I told you what I did was **classified**!" Sam shouted. "Does the term 'national security' mean nothing to you?"

Pete made a dismissing sound in the back of his throat, riling Sam even more.

"But you did a little more than run a trace on me didn't you? After the trace you **stalked** me!"

"I didn't exactly stalk you," Pete mumbled defensively.

"Stalking is defined as following a person in or about a public place and is a class five felony in Colorado!"

Pete blinked at the legal jargon he was familiar with.

"Yes Pete, I looked it up." Sam gave a tired sigh. "I'm a scientist. I tend to do those things. You followed me to Daniel's place and then **interrupted** a stakeout—which as a police detective you should be all too familiar with and able to recognise—nearly got yourself killed and had the programme disclosed to you!"

Sam threw her hands up in the air and started to turn away from him in disgust. "God, I wished I'd never made that promise to you!"

Pete took some steps towards her as his hands reached for her shoulders. "Sam, look, I said I'm sorry. And I am."

Sam shot him a disbelieving look over her shoulder. As far as she could tell, he was only sorry about her finding out—not about doing those actions in the first place.

"Look, we can work this out," Pete said as his hands closed on her shoulders from behind. "We're getting married in a few days—"

Sam shrugged his hands off harshly. "Are we now?"

"Of course we can. All you need to do is calm down some—"

Sam whirled about and got right into Pete's face. Her angry countenance shifting to a steely, hard-edged expression her fiancé has never seen before. The hardened face of the soldier she was but that she had never shown him

"No Pete. You need to acknowledge your errors. And I need to think some more about whether this relationship between us—when you clearly don't trust me—is going to work in the slightest."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're going to get in the car—you're going to drive to your parent's place because of the dinner we've been invited too—and I'm going to take the time to think."

"Can't you think about it now—here?"

"No." Sam began striding to the door and the vehicle parked in the driveway of the house. Her mind already analysing and classifying all the times she and Pete had been together, all the interaction between them and when with other individuals. How her relationship with him had affected her relationships with others—in particular her team that for years had been her family.

As Pete drove to his parent's house in silence as instructed, Sam thought over the past year and six months. About Pete's not understanding her dedication to her job, constant accusations about her relationships with her teammates and work, actions that revealed his distrust, and other emotional manipulations…

As incidents and moments began piling up in her mind as Sam forced herself not to dismiss them as isolated events, slowly but surely the scales began to tip out of Pete's favour.


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

**Hilda and Robert Shanahan's Residence, Denver, CO  
June 17, 2005  
Late Afternoon**

The slamming of the front door had Jamie Shanahan craning his head around the back of the sofa he was seated upon to look at who had so angrily entered his parent's house on this late Friday afternoon. He was the only one staying with his parents at the moment as the house was turned into wedding planner central but even with others expected for tonight's family dinner they would not enter the house in such a manner. Giving Jamie a pretty good idea about who had just angrily entered. As he expected it was his brother Pete who stormed his way into the kitchen and yanked a bottle of beer from the fridge before stomping into the living room.

"So…" Jamie drawled, "Where's Sam?"

"Outside," Pete growled before taking a swig from the bottle as he plopped down onto the lazy-boy chair.

"So I take it she didn't…?"

"Didn't what?" Pete snarled.

"React the way you thought she would to the house." Jamie was impervious to the death glare his older brother shot him.

"No. She didn't." Pete said shortly. He took a few more long drags from his beer before saying wildly, "I don't get it! It's exactly what she said she wanted!"

"Oh, I think I do." Jamie shook his head in disgust. "Bro, you don't buy something like that for a woman like her."

"Then what do you buy for her?"

"I mean, you don't buy something like that without consulting a woman like her," Jamie clarified. "And let's face it; you certainly don't buy something like that when you—together—haven't even decided where you're going to live. Remember you told me that you guys hadn't decided that yet?"

Pete sucked on his bottle and looked mulish.

"Or did you think," Jamie began sarcastically, "that she would see the house, fall in love, and decide to move to Denver?"

"Well, why not?"

"Pete! I hate to break it to you but that woman out there," Jamie said with exasperation as he rose to his feet and gestured in the direction of the front yard, "while she is a beautiful, brilliant, and frankly amazing person—is also **career military**."

"So?" Pete said obstinately.

"So! So at best, if you want to keep working on the Denver force, you'd be living in Denver and she'd be living wherever the damn army sent her!"

"Air Force," Pete mumbled from around the mouth of his beer bottle.

"Whatever!" Jamie felt close to tearing his hair out at his brother's obtuseness. "The point is Pete that a successful woman like Sam who has dedicated her life to the military is not just going to change that dedication because she's getting married. Just like Susan always complained about being second-fiddle to the force before your divorce, you're going to be the second husband in the marriage if you marry Sam."

"That won't happen!" Pete protested. Certain that after the marriage the situation would change, that Sam's priority would be him, not the AF.

"Oh yes, you guys will compromised on things, but it will always be the military that has dibs on her. And it's time you faced that Pete, if you don't, this marriage will end in divorce like the one with Susan did." Jamie concluded softly as he began to leave Pete to his sulking. "Samantha Carter is military. She will always be military. And from what little I know of her having only met her last week, she doesn't want it any other way. And if you can't see that—then there's no hope."

. . .

"Mrs Shanahan," Sam greeted courteously as she finally entered the house after having spent the past hour or so outside thinking over the argument she'd had with Pete while in the house he'd bought. An argument that had not just been about the house but trust and respect.

"Samantha," Hilda greeted pleasantly from her place behind the island counter with her hands buried in a mound of dough as she prepared for the large crowd she was expecting for tonight's dinner. "Pete's a little upset right now—from work I think—I hope he didn't take it out on you when he picked you up? And I thought we'd already agreed you'd call me Hilda."

"Oh, don't worry about that Mrs Shanahan," Sam said calmly as she looked at Pete levelly as he entered the kitchen. "I know exactly why he's upset."

"Can I get you anything, dear?" Hilda dusted flour from her hands and reached for a towel.

"No, I'll be going shortly." Sam said steely as she kept her eyes on Pete's face and reached into her pocket.

"But you just got here! Certainly you and Pete are attending tonight's family dinner? Everyone is expected."

"No Mrs Shanahan, I won't be." Sam set a jeweller's box on the island between Pete's mother and herself, her blue eyes daring Pete to approach. But he just slinked back, keeping the room between them.

Hilda frowned curiously at the box and reached for it, "What's this my dear?"

Opening it, Hilda's breath caught in incomprehension when she recognised the princess cut diamond solitary engagement ring that she had last seen adoring the hand of her son's fiancée. "Samantha, what's this about?"

"Pete knows," Sam said as her eyes flicked from Pete to his mother. "I think it would do him some good to practice honesty. So you tell her Pete."

"Mom," Pete began, "Sam and I are having some difficulty—"

"Posh," Hilda waved a floured hand dismissively. "It's just pre-wedding jitters."

"No," Sam cut in, "it's not. I wouldn't call finding out that your boyfriend—who'd already been told that my work was **classified**—ran a background check the morning after having sex together for the first time."

Hilda was stunned by Sam's sudden transformation of placid calm to enraged female and even more stunned when she looked questioningly at her son and saw the guilt on his face. "You did what Pete?" she asked faintly.

"Used his contacts with the FBI to run a background check on me. After having sex with me."

"There must be some mistake," Hilda turned back to Sam.

"There's no mistake, the trace was run by Dan Farrity—your best-man isn't he Pete? Or anyway, an old friend, seeing as there won't be a wedding."

"Surely you can talk this through?" Hilda begged weakly.

Sam shook her head resolutely. "As a police officer, Pete should have understood the term classified—especially on a national level. He should have also known how many laws and ethics he was violating by running a professional trace to satisfy his personal curiosity.

"And while I can forgive curiosity, I can not forgive the rest. It is the antithesis of what I have spent my whole life doing—integrity first, service before self," Sam repeated the first two parts of the USAF Academy's core values. "I cannot marry a man who has shown he has no trust in me—in what I do, in what I say—and no respect for my opinions. I'm sorry Mrs Shanahan, but the wedding is off."


	32. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

**Bathroom, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
June 17, 2005  
Evening**

Friday evening Jack was just finishing combing out Tyler's hair after the twins' bath when the distinctive tone of his personal cell phone filled the air. Putting the brush onto the bathroom counter he lifted Tyler down and set the pyjama clayed boy onto the floor. Striding out of the bathroom Jack hurried to his bedroom where he had plugged in his mobile phone to charge after he had gotten home from work hours ago. Flipping the device open he was surprised to see Sam identified as the caller and pushed the talk button.

"O'Neill," he gave his customary greeting.

"Hi Sir," Sam said self-consciously on the other end. "Sorry to disturb you."

"Heck Carter," Jack teased as he disconnected the charger—leaving it beside the outlet—and made his way out of the bedroom to track down the twins. "I half expected you to show up on my doorstep unannounced again."

"Sorry, Sir," Sam apologised.

Jack waved the issue away with his hand even though she could not see him. "So what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering Sir, if I could maybe come over this weekend—to visit the twins?"

"This weekend?" Jack inquired curiously. "Isn't that cutting it a little close to your upcoming wedding?" Re-entering the bathroom Jack scowled slightly at Tyler who had pulled the already put away container of bath toys onto the floor and begun to play with them.

"No Sir," Sam said tumultuously. Hearing a tone he did not recognise in her voice, Jack remained silent and let that silence encourage her to continue speaking as he picked up the bath toys again and began herding a protesting Tyler from the bathroom.

"I ah—we're—I returned the ring to him—Pete and I aren't getting married," Sam said in a rush.

Jack was taken aback and could not come up with anything to say, but having finally told him about the cancelled wedding Sam forged determinedly onwards.

"I read the report, about Pete's trace, and spent most of the week considering his past actions and such… and the knowledge that I repeatedly told him that my job came first—the programme always came first. And if we were going to have a relationship, then he needed to acknowledge that fact and then we both would have had to work around that," Sam confessed. "And when I got to Denver today, to visit with him and talk stuff over, I arrived to find out he'd bought a house for us."

As Sam stopped speaking Jack finished herding Tyler into the twins' bedroom where Emily was occupied with the toys sprawled across the floor. At the sight of his sister playing, Tyler was more than happy to stop protesting and forget about the bath toys and made a beeline for the collection of plastic food.

"He bought a house?" Jack was not sure he had heard that right. Something like that was not something you sprung on a woman like Sam.

Sam gave a heartless chuckle on the other end. "Yes, a house in Denver. We hadn't even decided where we were going to live yet—and he bought a house."

"Ah…" was all Jack was able to say.

"So," Sam's voice clearly indicated she was going to change the topic, "I was wondering if I could come over this weekend, to get to know Emily and Tyler."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What if you don't…?" Jack trailed off, uncertain at how to word what he was trying to say.

"I'd like to try Sir," Sam stated.

"Alright Carter, I'll see you soon." Jack agreed lightly as he watched his children play together. "Do you want me to get you from the airport?"

"No Sir," Sam refused. "I'll catch a cab."

Sam went on to state that she would call again later with her flight number and arrival time and after they said their goodbyes Jack closed his mobile phone. Slipping the device into a pant pocket he began encouraging the twins to tidy up before reading them their two bedtime stories, as each sibling chose their own story.

Once the toys were put away and after some deliberation, both children selected their bedtime book from their growing library collection. Sitting himself down on the children's reading mat, piled with pillows and large stuffed animals, each child selected a side and snuggled up against him. Bedtime stories were not read in bed like Charlie's had been, simply because the twins had separate beds and both like hearing the other's story as well.

Jack adjusted the children against him so they would both have a clear view of the pictures and accepted the first book. However as he opened it and began to read the first page his mind was not on the familiar words of _Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?_ but on his own thoughts.

So this weekend would be it.

When he would learn just how much a role Sam wanted to play in the lives of Emily and Tyler and by extension, how much a role she would play in his life. And to think, he thought his move to the capitol would essentially remove her—SG-1 really—from his life and vice versa.

. . .

Late Saturday afternoon as Sam rode in the taxi from the airport to the general's house in the Alexandrian suburbs her mind dwelled on the events of Friday. Particularly delivering the news of the broken engagement to Pete's mother and after arguing again with Pete that their relationship was ended with no hope of resurrection, secured herself a hotel in Denver for the night. From the hotel room she had made several necessary phone calls to those invited to her wedding, like Mark and Hammond, to inform them that the wedding was off.

As the taxi pulled up in front of her destination, she steeled her nerves for the forthcoming visit and exited after paying the fare. With her black skirt swishing around her legs she walked up the walkway for the third time that month wondering why she was more nervous about this visit, which was expected, then her two other unannounced appearances. But then, those visits had been fuelled by anger; an anger that was definitely missing and replaced by uncertainty and anxiety.

But for the first time in a long time she was fully convicted of the rightness of what she was about to do. Commit to any form of relationship with her children and Jack that Jack would allow if she couldn't convince him that he was what she wanted.

Taking a bracing breath, she raised her hand and pushed the doorbell. On the other side of the wooden panel came the sound of loud children voices and a man's exasperated tone moving towards the door. The door opened to reveal Jack dressed casually in his weekend wear of jeans and grey t-shirt with two little bodies crowding against his legs in their own jeans and orange and yellow t-shirts.

"Sir," Sam greeted as she nervously tugged on the hem of her red blouse.

"Carter," Jack returned the greeting as he placed his hands on the heads of the twins to herd them back away from the doorway. "Come on in."

"Thank you Sir," Sam stepped over the threshold and removed her sandals, placing them on the shoe mat with the collection of other footwear.

"Emily, Tyler," Jack addressed his children, "why don't you take Sam into the living room and show her your toys?"

Jack was pleased to note that there was no hesitation in either of the twins as they eagerly urged Sam from the entranceway.

After their kidnapping and rescue in the days following there had been some stressful moments when they met new people, particularly blonde women, but having him present in some way always seem to remove the twins' fear. The child psychologist that specialised in kidnapping trauma that he had spoken with had been a help in easing the twins, and himself, back into their regular routines and now neither of the children seemed to remember much—if anything—of that traumatising time.

It was a time that was still very much vivid in his mind though, especially as he utilised every ounce of his power to hunt down the Trust and how every many copies of that bastard Ba'al were still bouncing around. And he had never realised what an asset being the man in charge was, or a new staff could be, as almost no one questioned him about his information source and the few that did were content with his curt answer of 'classified' or 'need to know.'

Leaving Sam to keep the twins occupied, and vice versa, Jack moved into the kitchen and began preparing supper for the four of them.

Sam and he had agreed on the phone that she would spend the evening while they were awake playing, and helping out with the twins, and after having spent that time with them, they would talk about what needed to be talked about once Tyler and Emily were in bed. It was an impending discussion that had Jack's gut churning queasily in his stomach. For all the years that he realised he loved Sam, the faint possibility of a shared future had been firmly crushed when she had become engaged to Pete, and even with that broken engagement, hope had not returned.

He didn't think it could.


	33. Chapter 32

**WARNING**: Graphic Sex

* * *

**Chapter 32**

**Living Room, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
June 18, 2005  
Late Evening**

Jack handed Sam her third glass of wine and seated himself on the other end of the couch across from her with his second bottle of Guinness of the day in hand. The evening had past quickly and pleasantly and Jack found that it had been a great help having a second adult around again to help with twin handling.

The only tense moments in Jack's opinion were the flashes of sensual tension that arose in him whenever either found themselves in closer proximity than usual due to the private setting. He chalked the moments up to suddenly not having military job requirements or settings regulate their interactions—and studiously ignored them figuring it was all in his head.

"So," Sam shifted uneasily as she cradled the wine glass in her hands. She was tense with anxiety about the pending conversation and the familiar buzz from being around Jack unsupervised. The buzz had been buffered when the twins were present but had been steadily growing since putting them to bed. There were times when she didn't think she was the only one sensing it but Jack kept avoiding her eye whenever she tried to catch his gaze during those times. Adding flashes frustration to her already bubbling caldron of emotions.

"So," Jack echoed as he fiddled with the beer in his hands. As brown eyes connected with blue, Jack fortified his nerve and placed the bottle down on the coffee table. "Alright, Sam, first of all, for this discussion you're going to call me Jack. We aren't senior and junior officer here, but two adults that are also parents deciding on how to parent."

"Okay, Jack," Sam agreed softly. She was privately amazed that she did not trip over his name as she expected his title to come out of her mouth, just as much as he did probably. "I guess then, in this situation you're the parent with full custody and I'm the one with visitation rights."

Jack could not argue about that but still, their situation was very much different. Their children had been created by an alien and then the 'custody' parent had not told the 'visitation' parent the children's parentage and even lied about said parentage when asked.

"Not quite," Jack muttered.

"No, not quite. Especially if no one is to know that I'm their mother." Sam stated quietly.

That was another point Jack could not confute, and was not going to either.

"So… what do you want?"

Sam's mouth twisted at the question. "I want… I want to be their mother, but I know that isn't possible. Not with you living here and me in Nevada and…" Sam looked away as her hands turned back to fiddling with the stem of her wine glass. Mentally she chastised herself for stalling at telling Jack that what she wanted was a relationship with him. She had on the flight over decided that she would tell him and now she could not seem to find the words.

"And what?"

"And us not being friends, let alone a family—"

"Were we ever really friends?" Jack mustered.

Sam paused her mental chastisement as she considered the question. "I'd like to think so Si-Jack. I know that I annoyed you—mostly with my science lectures—and you annoyed me—with your, never mind—but we do have some things in common—our service, love of astronomy, and flying—"

"Outside of the AF?"

"Well… the AF in some ways makes us the people we are, if we removed it, we wouldn't be ourselves. And if we hadn't been friends, SG-1 wouldn't really have survived as long as it did—with the sense of family that it did." Sam raised her eyes to look him in the face again. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

A brisk nod was Jack's answer. He understood, remove the AF—remove SG-1 really—and they would not be who they were, with the experiences and knowledge that bound them together.

"So, what do you want Sam?" Jack repeated. "And I don't mean just about Tyler and Emily… what do you want for your life?"

Sam grimaced and tossed most of her wine back in one swallow. Aided by the depressing properties of the alcohol her thoughts turned morbid and her cowardliness won out when faced with Jack's blunt questioning. What had she been thinking on the flight over? Like Jack wanted to be with her. Let alone welcome her back into his life. What she wanted would never happen so there was no use even entertaining the thought, not now, not anymore.

Those depressing thoughts in her mind Sam rose to her feet to refill her wine glass. Striving now to ignore the familiar sensation that being alone with Jack arose in her. Jack however stood at the same time and they found themselves with barely an inch between their bodies. Blue eyes locked with brown and Sam found herself unable to keep her body from betraying her as she swayed towards Jack.

The faint touch of body against body and the pleasure it sent streaking through him had Jack swearing beneath his breath. The evenings mental denials of the moments between them crumbled as his hands came up and yanked Sam flush against him. Tension between them boiling over as Sam's hands snaked around his neck—wine glass she was clutching bumping unnoticed against the back of Jack's head—and their lips touched.

As the touch of their mouths turned from an almost tentative exploration to full blown passion the wine glass Sam held dropped unnoticed to the floor to roll underneath the coffee table. Now unhampered Sam's fingers were free to wantonly thread themselves into Jack's hair.

Jack's hands shaped themselves against the small of Sam's back and the bottom curve of her rear, moulding her body snugly against his own. Fingers stroking and arousing the sensitive areas of the body. Sam was only too happy to assist as she pressed close and even started sliding a leg up Jack's own to help him lift her so that groin was against groin, breasts against chest, and mouths were level.

As their mouths parted in the need for air; both of them stared into the passion laden eyes of the other. Blood pounding through their bodies they were hardly able to believe that it was happening and desperate that nothing would wake them from this walking dream.

"Are we really doing this Sam?" Jack asked hoarsely, the brown of his irises nearly lost in blackness. His body screamed at him for daring to ask the question and give her the chance to opt out, but even with her more than willing body in his arms, he still didn't quite believe this was happening.

Sam nodded, her mind almost lost in a lust-induced fog. The lust roughened her voice but did nothing to hide the fierce sincerity of her answer. "Yes Jack. I want this and I'll kill you if you try to tell me you don't want it either or try to stop us."

"Bed then," Jack muttered, submitting to her fiercely stated decree and what now felt like the inevitable as he lowered his mouth back to her swollen and reddened lips. Jack's hands on Sam's bottom dropped her weight and the slide of her body down his drew a whimper from her throat and a growl from his.

His hands tugged at her clothes and urged her to move with him as they made their slow, stumbling way from the living room to the staircase. They navigated the staircase and lost their shirts on the landing before making their way to Jack's bedroom.

Jack's fingers found and released the clasp of Sam's bra even as hers attacked his belt and the opening of his jeans. As his fingers reverently touched and shaped the mounds of flesh, he found Sam gasped and arched her back, thrusting her breast more firmly into his hands.

"Jack!" she cried breathlessly.

Jack took the hint and firmed his touch. Smirking against her mouth when a firm tug on a nipple had Sam moan his name and her fingers fumbled the button of his jeans. Sam's next action wiped the smirk from his features as his face contorted in overwhelmed passion as her fingers undid his fly and wrapped around the length of his sex.

His body shuddered as her hands trailed away. Jack's body mourned the loss of her touch but his mind was grateful for the brief reprieve to gather his thoughts and more importantly, his self-control. Sam hooked her fingers in the top of his underwear and jeans to shove them down his hips.

"Off," Sam muttered against his throat as she tugged on his clothes.

Jack ignored her demand and efforts to disrobe him as he attacked what remained of her clothing. Within moments her skirt fluttered down to join his pants on the floor and Jack did not wait any longer as he pushed her towards the mattress.

Sam tumbled backwards, her grip on his hips pulling Jack down to land heavily onto her. The sudden weight on her momentarily winded Sam, but she recovered quicker than Jack as she shifted and rolled them to end up seated on top of his naked body. Straddling his waist with his sex pressing against her still cloth covered groin.

As she leaned forward to shimmy out of her panties, Jack took advantage of the offered opportunity to fasten a mouth onto a breast and tormented the other one with a hand. Sam gasped, struggling to keep her hands coordinated to remove the offending piece of underwear and keep under the delicious torture of Jack's mouth and hands.

Sam finally managed to kick the cloth aside and rocked backwards. The wet touch and radiating heat of her sex against his own had Jack's hands moving to her hips to push her down his body more.

Both of them desperate for the final contact.

As Jack slipped into her, stretching and filling, their eyes locked. Sam's hands slid up to frame Jack face with his hands remaining on her hips as they rocked and grinded towards completion. As their eyes remained locked together years of unsaid emotions and thoughts passed between them as their bodies strove for the final release. It struck like lightning, sizzling through their bodies and tore their souls apart in a blinding rush of pleasure.

They were no longer Jack and Sam or Sam and Jack but finally, and completely, them.


	34. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**Master Bedroom, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
June 19, 2005  
Early Morning**

Awakening from sleep the next morning Jack opened his eyes, hardly daring to believing or comprehending that last night had actually happened. But as he turned his head to the woman curled up against his side, there was no denying it. He wondered what had led to the final push, last night of all nights.

Especially when he himself had been convinced that even with there being no more cop, no more engagement, there had been no hope of a shared future with a committed relationship to each other, even if they were sharing parenting to a degree.

As for Sam… he gave up trying to fathom her and even would not attempt to work out her motivations. Whatever Sam's reason and if even with her conviction of last night was replaced with morning regrets, he knew he would cherish the memory.

A quiet murmur and wiggle from Sam drew his attention back to her. He was familiar with her stages of wakeup, having slept beside her on countless missions, and woken her for her turn on watch as nearly as many times.

Keeping his body relaxed and breathing steady Jack was certain after a while she was awake. The hand tangled in the greyed hairs of his chest was slightly flexing and there was a peculiar little smug smile just turning up the corners of Sam's mouth even though her eyes remained closed.

"Sam," Jack drawled huskily, slightly nervous about how this morning after would go as he used the arm Sam was laying on to give a light squeeze of her torso.

"Shh," Sam murmured lowly as her smile grew but her eyes remained shut. "I'm dreaming and don't want to wake up."

"Come on," he cajoled, his nerves replaced by euphoria brought on by her shy and playful manner. If anything, it convinced him that last night had not been a regretted abbreviation aided by wine but a deliberate choice and commitment. It had been his private fear, even knowing that neither Sam nor he were casual in their relationships and could not be with each other because of their long history.

"Nah-yah," Sam smiled fully as she scrunched her eyes tight shut.

Jack's other arm came up to wrap around her torso and pulled her body towards him. Sam rolled with the movement, her blue eyes popping open when Jack rolled her onto her back and braced himself on his arms above her.

"Morning," he greeted huskily as he lowered his head to hers. Sam eagerly raised her face and their mouths met, the touch light and teasing, as they explored each other's lips.

"Morning Jack," Sam finally greeted with a brilliant smile when Jack lifted his head to look down at her again.

Jack was unable to resist smiling a truly happy smile back. It seemed that he was not the only one giddy with euphoria this Sunday morning.

"Oh, and Happy Father's Day," Sam purred.

Jack was surprised by the reminder. Since Charlie's death, the day had been an unwanted day of sorrow, but with the twins in his life and Sam in his bed, it did look like it was going to be a very 'happy' day.

"So," Jack began, reluctant to break the happy mood enveloping them but slightly more sombre himself with the reminder of the day's holiday, "I guess we've got more to talk about?"

Sam's expression faded slightly, but only slightly compared to the sombreness of her voice when she spoke. "Yes, we do."

With a great deal of reluctance, Jack lifted himself off of Sam and his mattress. A quick glance at the clock beside the bed revealed that they had approximately thirty minutes before the twins' usual wakeup time of 08:00.

"Up and at 'em," Jack playfully slapped a hand against one of Sam's thighs. "They'll be up soon, so it's best if you shower now if you want to."

Sam took the warning to heart so she rolled from the bed herself and stalked seductively across the bedroom to the doorway. Casting a last, long, appreciative, and flirting look over her shoulder, she disappeared through the doorway to the shower in the downstairs bathroom.

Jack huffed out a breath as his hands raked through his hair, making the strands stand even more on end. God, if that look was anything to go by last night was not his only time to get lucky this weekend. And next time he would take time to explore her body to his heart's content.

Happy day indeed.

. . .

Three hours later after feeding the twins and themselves breakfast, the four of them settled into the backyard. The twins were finally occupied in their sandbox, having spent at least an hour insisting on being pushed on the swing set by one of the two adults when they had first gotten outside.

Sam and Jack both savoured the break as they sat on the patio lounging chairs and sipped from the glasses of ice water that Jack had had the forethought to bring outside, knowing how warm a sunny day could get and how tiring watching two energetic two-year-olds could be.

"So," Sam began, blue eyes shyly flicking from Jack's face to his chest. "I should probably start with something that happened to me about a year and a half ago, onboard _Prometheus_."

Curious Jack leaned towards her, his body language encouraging her to continue.

"I… I guess, for some time now there'd been the possibility of… of more between us… and at that point I had gotten… tired…," Sam confessed a little ashamed. "Tired that there was only the possibility and wanting some happiness for myself. So onboard _Prometheus_ I experienced hallucinations—you, Dad, Teal'c, and Daniel mostly—that I talked with about things."

When she glanced up from looking at his chest, Sam found him watching her patiently with nothing judgemental in his expression. "What we—or the hallucinatory you—talked about had me deciding that I would try to find happiness elsewhere, if… if we—we weren't, you know…." Sam waved a hand half-heartedly between them. "So I agreed to the date set up by Mark…" her expression turned thoughtful as her mind turned inwards, evaluating the months that had passed since her first date with Pete. "It wasn't a wrong thing to do per say… because being with Pete taught me things about myself, and how I handled relationships, and other stuff…"

Jack found himself agreeing with her self-evaluation. In some ways, as much as being with Pete had broken his heart, Sam had grown from that relationship. She had seemed to have finally found a balance between the woman and the soldier aspects of her personality when before the soldier had dominated all areas of her life, even her personal one. Seeing that, knowing that Sam was finally becoming the person he had always known she could be, made him proud and thankful to have viewed and been a part of the evolution. That made the heartache bearable now.

Sam's eyes focused back onto Jack's face. "So, while we've hurt each other over the years, even though we didn't mean to… it was probably, in the end, the right thing. Not the hurting, but…" Sam worried her lower lip in frustration at her inability to convey clearly what she wanted to.

Jack nodded, understanding what she was trying to convey without words. Nonverbal communication had always been so much clearer between them anyway. There had been many chances in retrospect for them to have been together in years past, but it would have had to have been—from their perspectives—done through choosing the selfish choice and put themselves ahead of the happiness of the planet. So for them, the decision to keep the status quo had been the right decision.

He knew that others, probably even Daniel, would argue against it. But it was just who they were.

As the silence between them grew and Sam picked at the fabric of her skirt and alternated between looking at him and the twins, Jack knew it was his turn to speak.

"Your being with Pete did hurt Sam, but don't ever think I begrudge you your choice to find happiness. I had that happiness and a normal life with a family—I lost it—but I still had it, and you never did. And Sam," Jack's hand reached out to squeeze her knee. "You do deserve to be happy."

Sam nodded as her fidgeting fingers moved to lace with Jack's hand. "Things have changed. While there still are and will be goa'ulds to hunt and more mercenary groups to contend with, there is really only one remaining System Lord. The project is already returning more and more to its original mandate of exploration—just think of the team in Pegasus—and I think our time has come now." Sam smiled as she squeezed his hand within hers. "And Jack, I'd like us to take it."

Jack squeezed her hand in return as he nodded, barely able to contain the joy—a feeling that had been foreign to him for so long—bubbling up in his chest.

"Okay, Sam, okay," Jack agreed huskily. "We'll take it."


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

**Jackson's Residence, Colorado Springs, CO  
June 25, 2005  
Noon**

Daniel stumbled from his bedroom to his front door as his doorbell continued to ring insistently. He had gotten in just a few hours ago and dropped into bed fully clothed having spent the past three weeks on the naquadah rich planet of Nalini negotiating a mining treaty with the incredibly taciturn and farsighted inhabitants. Never again he swore, never again, would he negotiate a treaty when the natives were demanding clauses to the seventh generation.

Yawning mightily he sleepily opened his front door and blinked groggily at the blonde woman standing on his front porch. A woman he had not seen except for video conferences since her transfer to Area 51 back in March of this year.

"Daniel!" Sam exclaimed happily as she nearly threw herself into her friend's arms.

Daniel stumbled back at the contact. Only Sam's firm grip kept him up right as he blinked stupidly at her. "What—how—when'd you get here?" he sputtered.

Sam smiled brilliantly as she gushed, "I'm so glad you're back Earthside. Come on, we've got to go shopping."

She bustled into the house, nearly bouncing as she headed for Daniel's kitchen and the coffee percolator that she knew had the place of pride on the counter.

Daniel swayed on his feet as he turned to look at her retreating back. Still groggy and not comprehending he shuffled after her, more collapsing than leaning against the kitchen doorway when he reached it and watched her quick movements preparing coffee.

"Sam?" Daniel questioned around a yawn. "What are you doing here?" His face screwed up when suddenly what she had said earlier registered, "Wait—why are we going shopping?"

"We're going shopping because I need a dress," Sam explained patiently as she dug out some bread—checked for mold—and then placed two slices into the toaster.

"A dress," Daniel muttered as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What do you need a dress for, and why do you need me?"

"I need a dress for my wedding," Sam explained smiling so brilliantly that Daniel swore the sun had just revealed itself in his kitchen.

"Wedding?" Daniel asked confused and then said patiently, as if he were explaining to a small child: "Sam, you already have a wedding dress."

Sam giggled—**giggled**!—as she triumphantly yanked a jar of jam from his refrigerator. Now Daniel was highly suspicious that some alien had switched Sam with some girly doppelganger. "Not that dress silly, my **wedding dress**. I'm not getting married."

Daniel rubbed the side of his head. Certain now that there was something insanely wrong with Sam as he knew that he wasn't just confused, but that she was not making sense. "Sam if you're not getting married, why do you need a wedding dress?"

"Oh Daniel," Sam set the jar beside the toaster and whirled towards him. "Sorry—I know I'm not making any sense right now." Coming to a stop in front of him, she reached out and grasped both of his hands in both of hers. "Daniel," Sam leaned forward as if she was departing one of the greatest secrets of the universe and whispered, "I'm getting married to Jack."

Daniel felt his knees wobble as he stared incredulously into Sam's gleeful blue eyes. The joy was radiating from her in a way that it never had when she'd announced her engagement to Pete and never had he seen her just so… so **happy**. They may have stood there longer, Daniel stunned and Sam glowing with happiness, if the timer of the percolator had not sounded and Sam whirled away to pour the archaeologist a cup of the dark brew.

The noise gallivanted Daniel's voice into action. "That's great! No—that's fantastic! But-but what about Pete?"

Sam pushed the coffee mug and slices of jam spread toast at him as she urged him towards the door. "I'll explain in the car."

. . .

Numerous boutiques later and running on only four hours of sleep, Daniel collapsed into an exhausted heap on a chair in the mall's food court. And to think, he had once teased Jack about the man's grumbling about how women shopped—never again, never ever again, he swore for the second time that day. He had thought that Sam was a sensible human being but this gruelling assault on dress shops had shown that to be a lie—and she dared to call it 'just a little bit of shopping.'

Approaching with their meals from one of the court venders, Sam set the trays down and then tucked into her plate of fast food with gusto and Daniel made an effort to eat as well. If the next few hours were going to be anything like the last few had been, he would need the sustenance.

While they had shopped, he had learned that he was one of the last persons on Sam's guests to her wedding with Pete to learn that she had called off the wedding as he had been out of touch on Nalini. He had departed Earth to the planet as scheduled weeks before to negotiate a treaty that the government wanted badly shortly after Jack's twins and Sam had been rescued and it had been the reason he had not made a visit to Jack in person back in the beginning of June.

Sam had not gone into specifics about the reasons, but Daniel knew that it had to be pretty big to get her to call off the relationship and ceremony less than three weeks before the wedding date.

He did know that she had seen Jack and at some point—although what she had been doing in the capitol had never been explained—they had more than met and had for some reason, or some way, gotten together. The marriage proposal had been spontaneous and she had been the one to say it over the phone none the less.

Sam had told him that they had quibbled about the date before deciding, that as their closest friends had taken extra leave for the coming weekend in July—or knew to attend like her father and Selmak—to take advantage of that and have it at the same weekend as Sam's originally planned wedding. Only on the 4th of July instead of the 3rd—Sam quoted something about celebrating their personal freedom as much as the freedom of the nation for having the wedding on Independence Day.

"Sam," Daniel wrapped his hands around his soft drink, "I don't mean to put a damper on your plans, but what about afterwards?"

"After what?"

"After the wedding—with you in Nevada and him in DC?"

"Daniel," Sam gave him a patiently amused smile, "I'm certain two jet jockeys can figure something out. Besides, how is it really different from any other family in the service? We at least can arrange to live in the same household on weekends—others don't even get that."

"So, the Director of Homeworld Security will fly out to Nevada on weekends?" Daniel asked with a sceptically raised eyebrow.

Sam shook her head, "Of course not Daniel. I'll fly to DC—he has the children after all."

Daniel was thankful that she had brought the point up in the conversation and pounced on the opening. "What about the children?"

"What about them?" Sam asked quizzically.

"Have you met them?"

Sam smiled broadly and nodded as she dug into her purse. "Yeah, they're both sweethearts. Sweethearts full of a terrifying amount of energy, but adorable none the less," Sam proudly displayed what she had been looking for in her purse. A casual photograph snapped just this past weekend with the twins climbing over Jack as they had demanded piggyback rides.

Daniel looked eagerly at the picture, having only heard about the twins from Landry and then confirmed by Jack the few times he had managed to corner him via phone before having to leave for Nalini. The children's short golden-brown hair was as tousled as much as Jack's grey strands by the roughhousing. Jack's dark brown eyes and face was crinkled with a happiness Daniel had never seen in person, a happiness that was clearly shown in the grey and brown eyes and faces of the twins as well.

"Is that Tyler?" Daniel pointed to the brown-eyed child, associating the child with the pictures he had seen of Charlie.

"No," Sam shook her head. "That's Emily, the other one is Tyler."

"God," Daniel marvelled, "she looks so much like Charlie. It's hard to believe she's only a cousin."

"Yes," Sam agreed softly. "Surprising isn't it how close family members can resemble each other. I know when my nephew Ryan was born, everyone—even Mark—remarked that he looked very much like I did as an infant."

"So," Daniel glanced up from the photograph with an eager look in his eyes. "What else can you tell me about them? What are they like?"

Sam smiled fondly at Daniel's eagerness to know more and was very willing to begin telling him about the personalities and antics of Emily and Tyler and how much they had come to mean to her and become a part of her life.


	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

**Gateroom, Level 28, SGC, Cheyenne Mountain Complex, CO  
July 1, 2005  
Afternoon**

Daniel jiggled his weight impatiently as he stood near the ramp of the stargate. Both impatient and anxious. How'd he end up being the one elected to tell Jacob about things when the man 'gated to SGC to attend his daughter's weekend wedding? Oh yeah, Jack was in DC, Sam was flying to DC today—where he, Teal'c, and Jacob would join them—for the intimate wedding being performed on Monday by a Justice of the Peace in the backyard of Jack's Alexandrian home.

All he had to do was get Jacob to DC and not give into the Tok'ra's demands about their destination and why Sam was not here to greet him. Yeah, a piece of cake. Daniel snorted. His head jerking up when the stargate engaged as scheduled.

"Receiving IDC," the sergeant on duty intoned. "It is Jacob-Selmak."

Landry, who had been standing at the sergeant's shoulder, gave the go-ahead and the iris spiralled open. A few moments later the leather clad Tok'ra walked through the wormhole into SGC.

"Daniel," Jacob greeted as he tromped down the metal ramp. Raising his eyes he exchanged greetings with Landry as well, having been informed some months ago of the change in command at SGC.

"Ah—hi Jacob," Daniel stuttered. Finding himself at an uncustomary loss of words now that he was face to face with Sam's father.

"Is everything alright? Where's Sam? I was expecting her," Jacob inquired as he steered the archaeologist towards the blast doors and the infirmary beyond.

"Ah, she's not here."

"Where is she then?"

Daniel shook his head and collected his thoughts. "There have been quite a few changes around here since you last visited. As you know, Jack is in DC as the Homeworld director but shortly afterwards Sam was reassigned to R&D in Nevada."

"Nevada? What for?"

Daniel waved a hand. "Various reasons that she could tell you more about than me."

"I'm certain she will," Jacob remarked, implying that she would because he would ask her to explain.

"Teal'c's on the Free Jaffa Council and has been spending the past…" Daniel counted the months off on his fingers, "about five months on Dakara."

Jacob nodded as they cleared the doorway to the infirmary as he knew about the location of Apophis' former First Prime because of Tok'ra reports.

"And I just finished wrapping up a treaty with the Nalini—my last one before I leave." Daniel shrugged. "Mostly I've been doing research and getting ready for my trip to Atlantis in two weeks."

"So SG-1 is done?" Jacob inquired.

Daniel half shrugged again and shook his head at the same time, "Yes and no. The flagship team is going to be led by a Colonel Mitchell," here Daniel frowned a bit sheepishly, "and I really don't know who else is or will be assigned to the team. I've been so busy dealing with Catherine's estate and my Ancient research."

Jacob nodded in understanding. "We'll continue this discussion afterwards," he stated as Dr Lam ushered him to his examination.

. . .

"Why are we flying to DC?" Jacob inquired as he, Daniel, and Teal'c cleared the boarding procedure at the Colorado Springs Municipal Airport. "I thought Pete—and his family—lived in Denver."

"He does—they do," Daniel said uncomfortably. "But the wedding is in DC."

"Pretty strange place to hold the wedding if you ask me," Jacob muttered as he cast an interrogational look at Daniel before wandering off to the vending machines to appease Selmak's sweet tooth.

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief at the man's departure. He did not think he could take much more of Jacob's questioning without spilling everything.

"I can see where ColonelCarter gets her tenacity," Teal'c observed.

It was an observation that Daniel could heartily agree with. "I just wish she could have come to the SGC and tell everything to him—instead of us flying out with him," Daniel grumbled.

Teal'c merely clasped his hands in front of him and looked at the bespectacled archaeologist.

"Right," Daniel sighed again. "It would be pointless and a waste of money for Sam to fly from Las Vegas to Colorado Springs, and then from Colorado Springs to Washington. Plus, she told me that they are going to tell Jacob together. The only thing her being here would save is my discomfort with this situation."

Teal'c smiled.

Daniel rolled his eyes at his friend's response and turned back to Jacob as the man returned with a bag of gummy snakes. Daniel felt his eyebrows rise as he saw the candies and looked questioningly at the Tok'ra.

"Selmak likes the irony," Jacob explained before he bit the head off a snake and chewed happily.

. . .

Disembarking from their flight the three men—well technically, one man, one alien, and one man hosting an alien—carried the only luggage they had, their carry-ons, and headed for the baggage carousels to meet with Sam. Jacob was the first one to locate his daughter in the crowd, Selmak homing in on the naquadah signature she was emitting.

"Dad!" Sam exclaimed happily as they embraced.

"Hi Sammie," Jacob returned the fierce hug as Selmak quietly gave her own greeting, "It is indeed pleasant to see you again Samantha."

"Wonderful to see you two too." Sam smirked at bit at saying that. "I'm so happy that you could be here like you promised."

"Hey, my little girl's getting married," Jacob smiled as he squeezed one of her hands reassuringly, "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Thanks Dad, that means a lot to me," Sam said softly before she turned to Daniel and Teal'c and exchanged greetings and hugs with them. "Come on, let's get back and I'll tell you all about what you're doing in Washington Dad."

"Is Mark here already?" Jacob inquired.

Sam shook her head but her expression did not change. "No, he'll be flying out with Laura and the kids tomorrow morning. Tonight it's just us and Cassie."

"And how is she doing?" Jacob asked as Sam ushered them from the airport to the rented car she had waiting in the parking lot.

"Cassie's doing great," Sam said brightly as they climbed into the car and buckled their seatbelts. Signalling, Sam backed out of the parking space and joined the traffic heading out of the parking lot. As she navigated the streets of Dulles heading for Alexandria she kept up a steady chatter of information about Cassie and what she herself had been doing in Nevada at R&D.


	37. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36**

**O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
July 1, 2005  
Evening**

After parking the car in the driveway of a two story suburban house, Sam urged the three men from the car and up the walkway to the door. Upon reaching the door, she turned the doorknob and entered the house, waving them to follow her.

The three men did so, each curious about the place although only Jacob was unaware that the house was Jack's new home.

"Emily! Tyler!" Sam called out as they left the entranceway and moved deeper into the house. "There's some people here I'd like you to meet."

Suddenly voices rose upstairs and followed by the sound of feet moving rapidly down a staircase in tandem with a female voice cautioning that stairs were for walking down, not running down. Two toddlers hurried into the living room with Cassie on their heels. The young woman sported a slightly harried but mostly amused expression at the twins' excitement.

"You back!" Tyler exclaimed happily.

"I told you I would be," Sam said with amusement as she tousled the boy's hair as he hugged her leg.

"Hug?" Emily approached and held her arms up. Sam obliged, picking the girl up for the first step of the twins greeting ritual. Giving the girl a big hug Sam smiled as Emily then asked, "Kisses?"

Sam kissed the little girl on the mouth and then set Emily down just as Tyler made his own demands, "Hugs? Disses?"

"Of course, you too." Sam picked the boy up and hugged and kissed him as well before setting Tyler back onto his feet.

Ritual done the twins looked curiously at the three men that were standing behind Sam. All three were amused by the scene. Jacob wondered who the children were and who they belonged to—Pete was divorced but childless—as well as his daughter's obvious familiarity and rapport with them. Teal'c and Daniel were both wondering at the rapport as well, but mostly they were eager to meet Jack's children.

"Dad, Daniel, Teal'c," Sam addressed them as she stood behind the twins. "This is Emily," she touched the head of the brown eyed girl with her purple shirt and black sweats, "and this is Tyler," she touched the head of the grey eyed boy wearing a black shirt and khaki pants.

Patiently the three men moved forward to greet the two children, each one taking time to introduce themselves and smile at the children's attempt to pronounce their names. As the twins expressed their fascination with Teal'c, in particular his gold Jaffa brand, Jacob stood to the side and questioned his daughter.

"Sam, who are they? Not that they're not adorable—" he hastened to reassure her.

"Dad, back in January of this year, Jack's sister and brother-in-law were killed in a car accident. The twins," Sam gestured to the two children, "were adopted by Jack. He's now their father."

The information stunned Jacob. "He's a—I didn't know he had any family alive."

Sam smiled wryly and confessed truthfully as she indicated a hand at Daniel, Teal'c, and Cassie, "Neither did we."

"So, he's a father again?" Jacob remarked. "That's great—not that it happened in such away, but that he's got a family again," he hastened to reassure Sam.

Sam nodded and smiled, her expression showing that she understood what her father was trying to say.

"So this is Jack's house?" Jacob inquired, noticing the boxes of toys and other such children things tucked out of the way.

"Yes." Sam reached out and tugged on Jacob's sleeve. "He's out back working the barbecue. Come with me and I'll show you."

Jacob nodded in agreement and Sam turned to the redheaded young woman in the room. "Cassie, Dad and I'll be in the back with Jack if the twins need us."

Cassie nodded her understanding and she, Daniel, and Teal'c watched Sam and Jacob leave the living room. All three of them wondered how Jacob would react to the coming confrontation and revelation about who the groom was really going to be.

Emerging from the house onto the backyard patio, they found Jack turning cobs of corn on the barbecue with a plate of marinating steaks beside him.

"Jack," Jacob greeted as he approached.

Jack turned around, giving a wary smile as he set the tongs he was holding down. "Jacob, it's good to see you too. Glad you could get away."

Sam slid around her father to stand beside Jack, taking comfort from his presence behind her as she positioned herself between him and her father. "Dad, I have some things I have to tell you."

Jacob shifted his gaze from Sam to Jack and back again. Not liking the uncertain look on his daughter's face and the set expression of the other man. "What do you have to tell me?"

"I'm not marrying Pete," Sam confessed as she fiddled with her engagement ring.

Jacob was taken aback and frowned as he looked at Sam's fidgeting fingers. Encircling her ring finger was a slender silver band, the light reflecting from the fading light of the sun and house lights catching on the polished metal. He had seen the ring Pete had given her, a rather large solitaire diamond in gold, during his last visit to Earth at the same time the Free Jaffa Nation was establishing their Council on Dakara.

That ring was most certainly not the ring she was now wearing.

"Then," Jacob gestured to her hands, "what's the ring for?"

Sam looked down at her hands and flushed pink as she realised she had been worrying her new engagement band. Jack took half a step forward, bringing himself against Sam's back as his right arm wrapped around her waist and his left hand tangled with her ring hand.

Selmak was the only reason Jacob's jaw didn't drop at the sight of Jack cuddling up to his daughter. And by what was revealed on Jack's hand as it twined with Sam's—a matching slender silver band.

Fortified by Jack now being literally at her back, Sam forged onwards. "I called off the wedding to Pete three weeks ago. Some things happened and I knew that in the end it wouldn't work out," Sam snorted in remembered disgust as her apathy was raised by her memories, "and would have probably ended up divorced in a few years. If not months afterwards. And a little bit later I was in Washington and dropped by Jack's," Jack was careful to hide his smirk at that interpretation of events in Sam's hair, "and we got talking. A few days later we started dating and about a week and half ago I proposed."

Jacob moved for the first time since he'd seen the matching rings as he blinked. "Wait—you proposed Sammie? Those aren't wedding rings I am seeing?"

Self-consciously Sam nodded and bit her lower lip as she looked embarrassedly at her father. "Yes, I proposed. That's why Jack has an engagement ring as well. We bought matching sets of engagement and wedding rings."

Jacob blinked again. It was one thing to harass a future son-in-law about the quickness of the engagement and wedding—especially when it was preceded by a broken engagement—and another thing entirely when it was one's daughter that had made the engagement. How was a father supposed to react to that?

'_I believe Jacob_,' Selmak intoned in his head with a great deal of amusement, '_it is correct to say—congratulations_.'


	38. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37**

**Backyard, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
July 1, 2005  
Evening**

"Th-that's great—congratulations," Jacob stuttered taking the hint from Selmak.

"Really?" Sam asked hesitantly, clearly further worried by her father's response.

Jacob took a step forward as he gave Sam a reassuring look. "Yes Sam. All any father really wants is for their daughter to be happy. And Sam," he reached out and gave her upper arm a reassuring squeeze, "you really seem happy. Happy in a way you never did with Jonas or Pete."

"Thank you Dad," Sam smiled brilliantly as she stepped away from Jack to throw her arms around her father.

"I'm glad you've finally found your happiness," Jacob murmured into his daughter's ear as he fiercely returned the hug. After some time Jacob reluctantly ended the hug and took half a step back as he reached a hand out to Jack. "Congratulations Jack."

Jack reached out a hand and gravely shook Jacob's. "Thank you Jacob."

The two men exchanged looks, Jacob questioning if Jack would do everything in his power for his daughter and Jack promising he would. Jacob gave one last shake of their linked hands before ending the handshake.

"I give my congratulations to you as well," Selmak rumbled before intoning a Tok'ra benediction. "May your time together be blessed with great joy and sorrows never darken your lives."

"Thank you Selmak," Sam said solemnly as her memory faintly recognised the ancient words.

Jack nodded in acknowledgement before turning his attention to the food on the barbecue. "Jacob is there anything we can get you to drink?"

Jacob nodded. "A red wine if you have some."

Jack and Sam exchanged looks, and Sam nodded that she would be the one to fetch her father's request as Jack began placing the steaks onto the grill.

"So, Jack," Jacob began as he stepped up beside the barbecue after Sam disappeared into the house. "Last thing I knew she was marrying a cop. What really happened to change your relationship so quickly?"

Jack's hand paused, tongs and steak held over the grill as he looked at the older man. "Just things Jacob. But are you really okay with it, or are you just putting on a face for Sam?"

Jacob sighed. "I know why you can think a thing like that. Let's be honest here, you are sixteen years older than her, she's ten times brighter, and you two have nothing in common unlike her and Daniel—"

Jack's mouth drew into a hard line. "So you think someone like Daniel would be a better husband than me."

"Jack, most fathers want men like Daniel for their daughters," Jacob stated frankly. "And yes, he's intelligent, curious about the universe, honest and sensitive. They both are. But Daniel is even worse for Sam."

Jack placed the last of the steaks on the barbecue and closed the lid as he gave Jacob a questioning look.

"Their intelligence is directed in two different areas, science and social. When some technology is discovered, Daniel wants to know what, why, and who about the people that made the device and Sam just wants to know how it works. Also, Daniel doesn't have the strength to be Sam's husband."

Jack's brow drew into a puzzled frown. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not saying that Daniel is weak or that you'd dominate her, but that you have the strength that Sam would need in a husband. Particularly the strength needed to know when to step back, something Daniel's curiosity wouldn't let him." Jacob said seriously. "Also, Daniel doesn't really understand the military and that's a core part of who Sam is."

Jack nodded his own understanding of what Jacob was saying. He knew Jacob was right, as much as Daniel had improved on things military, he would never have the military mindset that Sam and he possessed.

"And really Jack I can't judge because your situation isn't all that different from the one I was in with my wife—our differences weren't that much different than yours and Sam's are. So it isn't a matter of opposites attract or like-to-like, but two unique people finding themselves bound by love." Jacob sighed again as he looked down at the ground. "And if it was anyone else I would think it was the pretty intense situations that you found yourselves in contriving a false relationship… but, I've watched you too much, Selmak's watched you too much… and if what we've seen isn't an example of love, then what is?"

"Thank you Jacob. For your honesty," Jack said sincerely when it became evident that Jacob was done speaking.

Jacob spread his hands out in the Tok'ra version of a shrug. "Just, don't tell Sam any of that, okay? I figure you two have already talked about that sort of stuff and she doesn't really need to know what her old man thinks. Don't want her getting any ideas that I'm not happy with the wedding and everything."

Nodding Jack opened the barbecue lid to turn the corn and steaks.

"So, who else will be attending?"

"Hammond and Mark's family and Jonas are expected and that's about it." Jack lifted his left shoulder in a half shrug. "The President sent a card, as did Jumper, but they've got other commitments ʼcause it's the 4th so they won't be attending."

Jacob gave a chuckle as he shook his head. "Only you Jack, only you would say something like that so casually. I guess I should be asking, who else knows about the wedding?"

Jack considered the matter. "Bra'tac, Landry, Colonel Masiello, Thor…."

"Impressive list when you think about it," Jacob interrupted Jack's musings.

"Really? What do you mean?"

"That the people that know about your wedding are: the US president, three generals—one of which is a four-star—a full bird colonel, an alien politician, an alien president, and an alien five-star general."

"When you put it like that, it is pretty impressive," Jack was forced to agree.

Jacob and Selmak shared a moment of private amusement over Jack's abashed expression. Selmak in particular who was able to more objectively see the former SG-1 team leader as the legendary individual he was. Even knowing all of SG-1's feats and the man's integrity, Jacob still tended to think more of Jack as the CO that could potentially lead his daughter to ruin through the frat regs. And still had some un-voiced reservations about how the marriage would affect Sam's career—he was all too familiar with the insidious nature of whispers that wrecked careers from his own time in the service.

"So," Jacob looked back through the patio doors. "What do you think happened to Sam? I didn't think she'd leave me alone with you for so long."

"Neither did I," Jack muttered as he too looked at the house. "Maybe one of them cornered her for something. Besides last Saturday she hasn't seen Daniel—only been talking to him on the phone—and with Teal'c, she's been exchanging messages sent with the regular communications with the Free Jaffa on Dakara—so brief and non-confidential."


	39. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

**O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
July 1, 2005  
Evening**

Sam poked her head into the living room to observe the five gathered there before making her way into the kitchen. As she selected a wine glass for her father to use, the sound of someone entering the room had her turning her head quizzically towards the doorway.

"Daniel? Is there something I can do for you? Would you like something to drink?" Sam inquired of the bespectacled man.

Daniel shook his head and then had to push his glasses back up the bridge of his nose when the motion was done. "No, I'm good. I just wanted to talk with you for a bit. Now that you're not dragging me through the hell you call shopping."

Sam snorted. Amused by his description of the Saturday they had spent together as she moved towards the upper cupboard holding the wines and liquors. "Sure Daniel, what do you want to talk about?"

"I'm really happy you're marrying Jack," Daniel stated with great sincerity, "but I was just wondering, really, how things changed so fast?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Jack left at the end of February for the HWS and by the middle of March had his nephew and niece with him. He didn't discuss the director position with us like he did SGC commander and none of us—**none**—were told about the twins."

"You'd have to ask him those things Daniel." Sam opened the cupboards and studied the collection of wine bottles.

"I'm just wondering how you're okay with all that."

Sam closed her eyes as she rested her head against the cupboard edge. Opening her eyes again she treaded the line of truth cautiously. "I can't say I'm alright with all his reasons but I can understand them."

"What do you mean by that?" Daniel frowned.

"Look Daniel," Sam turned to face him as she spoke earnestly, "I know all of this is moving quickly and seems very sudden—what with me being engaged to Pete and then suddenly engaged to Jack—but everything was more a tipping point than a sudden development."

Daniel's frown remained. "I still don't understand how you're so relaxed about it."

Sam sighed as she looked away.

"Well Sam?" Daniel pressed as he took a step closer.

"I already told you on Saturday, it was me visiting Jack that led to this change," Sam resolutely looked back and met Daniel's gaze. "I'm the one that took the first step, so while yes, I was hurt—just as you are now—that Jack didn't tell me about the twins and in effect stepped out of our lives—I understand the reason why he did what he did."

Daniel rocked back on his heels, frustrated with the circular conversation Sam was holding with him. "You keep saying you understand—why do you understand? What do you understand?"

Another sigh slipped from Sam but her gaze remained steady. "I told you, you'll have to ask him those things yourself."

"Alright, alright," Daniel grumbled as he looked away. "I'll ask him. I just—I just don't want you two hurt with things moving so quickly. You're both my friends and I don't…"

"Thank you for that concern Daniel," Sam said gently as she finally poured wine into the glass she had selected earlier, "but this is something we're both committed to." As she departed the kitchen she knew that Daniel had no idea how true that last statement was. For it applied not only to their commitment to loving each other, but their commitment to ensuring the twins' safety at all costs.

. . .

That evening, wearing her nightclothes, Sam listened to Jack prepare for bed as she leaned her head sombrely against the window of the master bedroom, looking out into the night. Cassie had won the dice roll for the guest bedroom, her father was on the pull-out-couch and Daniel and Teal'c on blow up mattresses.

"What is it Sam?" Jack asked quietly as he came up behind her and lightly rested his hands on her shoulders.

"I just wish we could tell them," she said quietly into the glass.

"We already talked about this," Jack's voice was just as quiet. "I know you want to. I know that keeping this from them isn't your nature, but it needs to be done."

"But why? They can keep a secret—"

"Yes," Jack stated firmly. "They can. And we can trust them with it. But if we tell Teal'c or Daniel, what's to stop us from telling Hammond or Jacob? Or anyone else we consider family? You know that the more people that know, the less safe they are. It's just the nature of secrets."

"I know," Sam whispered as she raised a hand to rub the tight spot over her heart. "It just hurts—not telling them and knowing in their shoes that I'd want to know and—"

Jack's hands squeezed her shoulders. "I know Sam. I know. You want to tell them so you aren't lying to them, so that you can talk to them openly about it, and that them knowing might give us a heads up on other people asking suspicious things, and so that they won't have any questions themselves."

Sam gave a jerky little nod, knowing that Jack was just listing off the points she had already given him as reasons to tell. Fresh on her mind in particular was Daniel's questioning in the kitchen before they'd sat down for their supper of barbequed corn on the cob and steaks.

"Sam, we already agreed," Jack's hands began sliding down her arms, "their safety is worth more. And I'm not willing to—I can't—"

As close as Jack was to her, Sam clearly heard the hitch in his voice as his hands stopped moving on her wrists. She lifted her head from its position leaning against the window and twisted around to face Jack as his hands fell away. His face was set in harsh lines, a muscle in his jaw working convulsively as his haunted eyes looked to the side at the collection of photographs on the bedside table.

She knew without following his line of sight, which child he was looking at. Sam closed her eyes briefly. In the end, it had not been Jack's firm conviction that the more people that knew the greater the danger, or even her own fear of the danger with the twins' recent kidnapping, but that old pain that had her agreeing not to tell anyone.

Jack's pain over what he would forever feel was his failure to protect his firstborn.

"I'm sorry Jack," Sam slipped her arms around his waist and leaned into him. "I guess I'm just feeling more pressured by Daniel's questions than I thought I would. I won't speak of it again."

As Sam held the hug, slowly Jack's arms rose to return the embrace, his chin finally coming to rest on the top of her head that was tucked into his neck.

"Don't—don't stop talking," Jack finally said haltingly, "about feeling pressured from Daniel or anyone else. I don't want you to ever stop telling me things like that—it's those things that build a strong marriage. I just know that I couldn't take it again. And if it means that a friendship is damaged if the lie is revealed, so be it. They are more than worth it."

Sam nodded against his chest. She would tell him about such things and while she did not necessarily agree with his last statement for herself, she knew that for him it was true.


	40. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

**Kitchen, O'Neill's Residence, Washington, DC  
July 2, 2005  
Late Morning**

Hands buried in soapy water Jack glanced up from washing dishes in his kitchen sink as Daniel entered the room. Daniel set the last of the breakfast dishes onto the countertop beside his industrious friend and then leaning against the counter's edge observed Jack at work. After washing and rinsing off a few dishes before placing the items in the drying rack Jack finally quirked an inquiring eyebrow at Daniel.

Daniel was sporting an expression that was both deeply thoughtful and earnest that Jack had long ago identified as the archaeologist's 'I want to talk' mode although Daniel, if he was aware of it, probably thought of it as his 'Jack needs to talk so I will get him to talk' face.

That just showed how different their take on different aspects of life was.

"Is there something you want Daniel or are you just going to stand there admiring my dashing good looks?" Jack quipped.

Daniel cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, not put off in the slightest by Jack's attempt to distract him from the talk they needed to have. "I am just trying to understand some things Jack and I figured you would be the best to ask."

"Understand what things?" Jack reluctantly obliged Daniel's curious and meddling nature, figuring that if he spoke some with Daniel the younger man might stop pushing Sam for answers he wasn't allowing her to tell.

"Just this," Daniel waved a hand about to encompass their surroundings. "Back in January your sister and brother-in-law die leaving you guardian of their twins and you tell us nothing about it or them. In February you announce your promotion from SGC commander to HWS head and again tell us nothing. In May your niece and nephew and Sam are kidnapped by goa'ulds and again we aren't told or included in their rescues. I leave for Nalini and upon my return expecting to attend Sam's wedding to a man she's been engaged to for eleven months—almost a year—has been cancelled three weeks before the date and the day afterwards, she's marrying you."

"So?"

"So?" Daniel's tone was exasperated. "So what the heck is going on? Don't you think all of this is a little sudden? Too many changes at once?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!"

"Why?" Jack persisted to question.

Daniel's shoulders slumped as he huffed out another exasperated breath before answering in a quiet voice. "Because I don't want you to get hurt any more."

Jack pulled the drain of the sink and half turned towards his friend. The two regarded each other for long tense moments before Daniel looked away.

"I don't want you or Sam to get hurt any more because you are moving too fast. For Christ's sake Jack, you were dating Kerry, then you become a parent again, then you're promoted and move to another state, then you have to deal with your children's kidnapping, then you're engaged to marry Sam when last I knew you were seeing Kerry."

"You've already pointed all that out," Jack said quietly. "And why do I get the feeling you're bothered more by not knowing than by what happened?"

"That's not true!" Daniel protested earnestly. "Yes, I am upset that you didn't tell me—didn't tell us—because I thought were close friends that shared stuff like that! But even though that hurt me, I can't just stand by and let you get hurt again. And I know you've been hurt—that Sam hurt you."

Jack turned away. "Alright Daniel. What do you want me to say?"

"I just want you to admit that and explain why you're doing what you're doing now."

Jack turned back to Daniel, his face tight with emotions and his barely held control leaked into his voice as he said lowly, "Alright Daniel I'll admit it. I was hurt."

"By what?" Daniel probed not satisfied with the non-specific admission.

"I was hurt by Sam's dating and then getting engaged to that damn stalking asshole," Jack gritted out through his teeth as he took a menacing step towards Daniel. "I was hurt by Julie's death and suddenly becoming a parent again and am terrified that I'll fuck up again. That I've already fucked up with them being taken by Kinsey's snake and that my fuck up got Sam tangled up in the mess and she had to endure being kidnapped on Earth again."

Daniel stood his ground as Jack, with brown eyes burning with emotion, got right into his face.

"You don't think I still don't worry? About my children? About Sam? Who all of a sudden is in a relationship with me right before marrying Shanahan only after finding out—" Jack brutally cut himself off. Not even in the heat of anger would he let anything lose that might have anyone, Daniel especially, questioning more about the children. Taking a breath Jack took a step back from Daniel and turned away thinking of his own private fear that had festered since Sam's proposal.

For years they had a good working relationship and platonic friendship and only after finding out about the children did she suddenly want him. How could he trust that she really wanted this? That she really loved him as she claimed? Her track record was not the most reassuring, she had claimed to love both Jonas Hanson and Pete Shanahan who were both pretty much crazies and become engaged to them only to call off those engagements sometime before the wedding.

Could she really commit herself to any man? Let alone him?

"Found out what Jack?" Daniel encouraged as he took a step towards Jack after the man had turned away and fallen silent.

"Some stuff about Shanahan," Jack waved a hand dismissively without turning back to face Daniel. "So yes Daniel, I've admitted it. Sam hurt me and she hurt me badly. But she says she wants this and I've always left this to her."

"So you're just going to do what she wants?" Daniel asked incredulously.

"It's my choice Daniel," Jack turned back once he had his emotions and expression under his control again.

"So you're just going to let it go? I can't believe you'd do that."

"What do you expect Daniel? For me to make Sam grovel?"

"Well, no," Daniel blinked, "I just can't believe you would forgive so easily."

"Who's said he's forgiven me?" Sam said quietly from the kitchen doorway.

Daniel turned sharply to face Sam with a guilty look on his face while Jack looked at his fiancée impassively.

Sam stepped through the archway and locked her eyes with Daniel's. "I said to talk to him about his reasons for what he did—not telling us about the children—if you really needed to know, not grill him about how all this makes him feel."

"Sam—" Daniel begun to protest.

"You don't think I don't know I hurt him badly?" Sam demanded. "You don't think I don't know that? That just because I'm with him now it's all gone—forgiven? Give me a break Daniel, I know Jack doesn't forgive easily—I was there when Cromwell was on base, I saw that it took his death for Jack to start forgiving."

"Sam," Jack protested as he held a hand out to her.

Sam looked from Daniel to her fiancé. "I know I've hurt you Jack, I just hope it doesn't take a life time for you to trust your heart to me again." Sam looked from Jack back to Daniel. "But that life time will be with him and I am not letting that chance go. Now excuse me, I have to pick up Mark at the airport."

Daniel looked helplessly at Sam as she turned and walked stiffly from the kitchen towards the entranceway and exited the house. He turned towards Jack but did not say anything more when he saw the thoughtful look in the older man's eyes as he looked in the direction Sam had departed in.

Jack was thinking that for all the time they spent talking together, phone conversations, when with the children, in bed together at night, and even with all those open and heartfelt discussions between them, Sam had never mentioned that she felt she had to make amends. He had simply decided that even with his insecurities he would take whatever Sam offered even if it meant never addressing what had come before.

But it looked like—if they were going continue talking and have honesty between them, like they'd discussed last night before sleeping—he would have to convince her of the sincerity of his emotions for her, and trust himself to believe in hers again.

And suddenly, he did not think he would have much trouble on that account.


	41. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40**

**Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles, VA  
July 2, 2005  
Noon **

Sam spotted her brother and his family disembarking from their flight from San Diego and she waved at them, smiling when Amy waved back and enthusiastically rushed towards her. She pushed firmly from her mind what little she had overheard in the kitchen between Jack and Daniel and what she'd said to both men to focus on her brother's family.

"Aunt Sam!" Amy cried happily as the ten year old wrapped her arms around her aunt's waist in a big hug.

"Hi Amy, did you enjoy the flight?" Sam returned the hug.

Amy's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically as the rest of her family approached.

"Laura, Ryan, Mark," Sam greeted them in the order that they approached. Laura gave one of her quiet smiles and murmured a hello in response. Her nephew, who was entering the teenage rebellious stage, unbent enough to give her a true but fleeting smile. Mark was clearly reserved as he gave a curt nod in her direction.

She was not surprised by that. What she was surprised by was that he had unbent enough to fly out and attend her wedding to a man he knew nothing about, the day after she was supposed to marry his friend.

"Let's get our luggage and get on our way shall we?" Laura said pleasantly as the group moved towards the baggage carousal.

"Sorry," Sam apologised, "but we have a bit of a wait for another friend whose plane has been delayed from the Springs."

"Oh?" Mark questioned with an edge to his voice.

"Yes, it might take a bit so if you and the kids are hungry, you should grab a bite to eat from the food court," Sam responded politely in the face of her brother's aggression. Mark gave another curt nod and turned his attention to locating his bag on the carousal. Baggage found by the Carter family, they moved towards the food court and ordered lunch as Sam had suggested.

After they had finished their meals Laura kept up a light conversation as she updated Sam on events in their lives to amicably pass the time even with Mark acting like a disapproving sentinel.

Finally the flight that Sam was waiting for arrived and the Carter family gathered their bags and moved to the departing area. Sam searched the arriving faces for the smiling one of Jonas Quinn. Spotting the attractive alien, she waved which allowed him to spot her in the group of people waiting to greet the disembarking passengers.

"Sam," Jonas greeted warmly as he wrapped his former teammate in a hug. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"You too Jonas," Sam returned the hug whole-heartedly. Thankful that Jonas had been able to arrange some time away from his advisory duties on Langaran to attend her and Jack's special day.

As the hug ended, Sam turned to the four waiting behind her and introduced the Carter family to Jonas and vice versa. Pleasantries exchanged between the five they moved to the baggage carousel once again to claim Jonas's luggage. That done they moved out of the airport to the parking lot to the vehicle and began the drive to Jack's Alexandrian house.

Sam, with Laura's assistance and Jonas's enthusiasm, managed to keep up a light conversation in the vehicle during the forty minute drive to their destination. Pulling up in the driveway the six people exited the vehicle and soon more introductions were ongoing in the house as Mark and his family were introduced to Sam's family.

Introductions finally done, the twins wrangled Amy, Cassie, and Laura into playing with them in the backyard. Jonas struck up a political conversation with Teal'c, Jacob, and Daniel with all four men careful to speak in code. That left Jack to his happily fierce argument with Ryan about _The Simpsons _and Mark was able to corner Sam in the kitchen as she prepared drinks.

"Sam, can we talk?" Mark leaned against a counter.

"About what?" Sam asked warily as she lined up glasses on the counter. Like she hadn't already dealt with emotional stuff this morning overhearing Daniel and Jack talk. She was not looking forward to dragging up more personal emotional muck.

"About him," Mark jerked his head towards the living room. His irate tone of voice clearly indicating that the 'him' he was referring to was her just-met fiancé.

"Mark—" Sam began with a sigh, only to be cut off.

"Look, I'm not—I'm not going to yell at you for what happened with Pete," Mark said earnestly, "I just—I just want to know what's going on. How'd all this happen?"

Sam paused in front of the open refrigerator door. "You're not? Going to yell that is?"

Mark sighed heavily—torn between anger at his sister, anger at Pete, and anger at himself—and dragged a hand through his sandy hair. "Look, I am upset about the stuff with Pete, he's my friend and I hate that my introducing the two of you ended up hurting both of you."

Sam was a little surprised and very touched that Mark stated that he was not just concerned about Pete, but her as well.

"Thank you Mark, that means a lot," Sam admitted honestly as she shut the fridge door and turned to her brother.

Mark gave her a half smile. "So, you going to help me out here?"

"Alright," Sam braced herself emotionally and gestured for Mark to seat himself at the kitchen table. "Look, I don't know how much Dad, or Pete told you about my life—" Sam held up a hand to forestall any response, "—but I just want you to hear me out. Even if I say something you already know."

Mark closed his mouth reluctantly and nodded.

Sam took a seat across from him and took a nerve fortifying breath. Looking at her brother's blue eyes her own blue ones soon turned down to gaze at the table top. "Eight years ago I was assigned to working deep space radar telemetry at the NORAD base. There were—are—some unusual aspects to that position, one of which was my assignment to a team with Colonel Jack O'Neill as my commanding officer."

Mark's eyes widened. He was an Air Force brat after all, and if Sam's story was leading where he thought it was, then his sister's engagement to the Major General he had just met…

"In the beginning, I admit to having a hero's crush on him," Sam confessed with an embarrassed half smile and slight blush. "But as time past and things happened it turned to infatuation of the man, and then…" Sam's blush intensified as she looked determinedly at the table top. "And then I fell in love… but I—we—buried it, ignored it, obeyed and did our duty.

"About oh, a year and a half ago, I was involved in an accident that caused me a rather serious concussion that had me revaluate my life—my personal life. And I decided that I needed to move on, to not hold onto my feelings for him, not if I was doing it because it meant I was 'safe' from having a relationship with someone else, with all its emotional ups and downs—because he was off-limits. It was later that he was promoted to base commander, then promoted out to Washington."

Sam looked up and met Mark's slightly less angry eyes. "So I agreed to that date with Pete that you set up last year. And Pete… Pete made me feel special. And he is a… good person. But there were other things. Things that when added up just meant I couldn't go through with the wedding. Not when it meant that compromises—I felt—were on my part and beyond being compromises, compromised who I am."

Sam held up a hand once again when Mark opened his mouth to speak, his face half-mad, half-understanding. "I know that's what relationships are about. Compromises, but they didn't feel like compromises. They felt like concessions.

"Then I was re-assigned from NORAD base to R&D at NTTR and we were no longer in the direct line of command. And so, some time after I broke up with Pete, I was in Washington for some work-related stuff and ran into Jack. And things just came to a head, and… well…" Sam shrugged self-consciously as she looked away again. "I don't regret my time with Pete—I regret that we were both hurt, and others—but being with him made me realise that my feelings for Jack couldn't just be buried and ignored. They would always be there, and he was a safe bet because he was **my** safe bet."


	42. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41**

**Kitchen, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
July 2, 2005  
Afternoon**

Sam was pensive after finishing her seriously abridged story. After some silence between them she looked expectantly at Mark who was studying her with a serious expression on his face. "What?"

Mark shook his head. "Nothing really, I just don't ever remember you talking like this before. Or maybe, you did and I just didn't let myself see it."

"Like what?" Sam asked self-consciously.

"Like a person," Mark looked faintly embarrassed at saying that, the anger that had fuelled him from the airport dissipating the more he talked with his sister. "I know you're a person, but sometimes… Sam, in many ways by the time you were a teenager and Mom died, you always seemed to be perfect." Now it was Mark who held up a hand to forestall a protest from Sam. "This perfect person who was a genius and once you enlisted, was an uptight, emotionless, and by-the-book AF officer. All I saw was a female reflection of Dad. I stopped looking for my big sister I guess.

"And because I stopped looking, I thought that you needed to have a life like I do, not considering that, even though you didn't appear to have a life when you visited us, you did have one. One you didn't talk about—couldn't really if the regs are what I remember them to be," Mark half smirked, "but was still there."

Sam ducked her head and gave a half nod of embarrassment.

"So, why don't you tell me some more about your safe bet?" Mark offered the olive branch.

"Well…" Sam considered how to answer that question. "Well he's career military like me, and yes much older but age doesn't matter when you find the right one." Mark nodded and urged his sister to continue. "We met eight years ago, when I was transferred to the NORAD base as I mentioned and things snowballed… well it was a hero's crush, then infatuation mixed with friendship, then maybe just friendship, then really… or maybe it moved from infatuation to the real thing and the friendship was always there." Sam said considering.

"He is divorced, but his marriage ended with the tragic accidental death of his son," Sam looked at Mark as she said that, clearly catching the half stunned, half horrified expression of her brother at hearing that, "and became a father again at the beginning of the year when his sister and her husband were killed, leaving him Tyler and Emily."

"Really?" Mark enquired, as stunned at learning the man's twins were really his niece and nephew, as they seemed to be **his** children, as he was by learning that Jack had lost a son already.

"Yes," Sam nodded. "You see it too, don't you? That if there was any man made to be a father, it was Jack."

Mark nodded. Even with the brief interaction he had seen between Jack and the twins, there was no denying their obvious rapport. It was near impossible to believe that the man had already had and lost a child.

"So, there's that… he loves fishing, also loves being in the quiet of the country, hates politicians and bemoans the fact that for all effects and purposes he is one with this DC posting, is overly fond of using sarcasm, and… and can always make me laugh." Sam smiled fondly. "He claims to not be complex and have no brains, which as far as I'm concerned is a lie."

"How so?"

Sam hesitated for a moment. How to explain that world leaders, of alien planets and nations, recognised Jack as a brilliant strategist? When most people on Earth did not believe the man could think his way out of a paper bag? "Well he says he doesn't understand my science talks, I know that's a lie simply because you don't get to the rank of colonel—let alone being a pilot—by being dumb. Plus, there's probably less than ten percent of the entire world that understands the minute detail of what I know."

Mark snorted. "Sam, I think you're being generous. Probably only three percent do."

Sam laughed. "That is such a Jack thing to say. Anyway, he gets the basic science and always, always is able to ground me. Get me back to the basic question and send me in the right direction when I'm stuck. That isn't something someone who's dumb, or doesn't understand, would be able to do. As for being complex, well on the surface he is as simple as he claims to be, with his dedication to the job, the team, and duty…" Sam shook her head. She could not really explain his complexities to herself. How could she explain them to her brother?

"And if I ever learn half the things he's been trying to teach me over the years preparing me for command as his second, I'll maybe be a fraction of the officer he is."

A snort of someone disagreeing from the kitchen doorway interrupted their discussion. The blond heads of the Carter siblings turned to see Jack in the archway with a sardonic expression on his face. Sam and Jack's eyes meet and she understood and was reassured from the affection in his eyes that whatever emotions his argument earlier with Daniel had churned up, had been dealt with.

"Don't believe a word she says," Jack commented as he moved towards the refrigerator. "She was a perfect second. It's hard not being a good leader when you have someone like her doing all the work in the background."

Sam shot her fiancé an exasperated look to which he gave a cheeky grin.

"But seriously," Jack began as he took juice from the fridge and opened a cupboard for cups. "Sam will do great when she gets a command position. I'm only sorry I won't see it."

"What?" Mark asked surprised and concerned by Jack's last remark. Was there something they were not telling him—about Jack's health maybe? His sister was almost a full bird colonel and from everything his Dad had grudgingly admitted to over the years, his big sister was destined to become a brigadier general. Why wouldn't Jack be around when she was two ranks away?

"Ah, sorry, I'm sorry I won't be **there **to see it. With her being," Jack waved a hand about in the air, "wherever, and me being here with the twins."

Mark relaxed now that he understood what the man was saying. His reserve about the man thawing just a little bit more with more evidence about the general's devotion to his niece and nephew. "So you're staying here?'

Jack nodded and looked resigned as he gathered up the drinks he had poured. "My current position almost guarantees that I'll be at the Pentagon until my final retirement."

"So… you'll be doing a lot of commuting then?" Mark questioned thinking of the fact that with Jack in DC and Sam currently in Nevada, the newlyweds would not be living together for some time.

Sam sighed regretfully as Jack exited from the kitchen. Rising from her seat at the table she picked up the juice container that Jack had left on the counter and gave it a shake. Finding it half full she looked at Mark who shook his head, then poured herself a glass before returning the juice to the fridge.

"We're taking as much leave as we can after the wedding but no real honeymoon with the twins being so young." Sam admitted.

Mark gave another nod of understanding and rose from his seat at the table. He still had some reserves, especially concerning the man she was marrying, but he would keep them to himself. He had offered the olive branch and it would be cruel of him to yank it away. "I'd just like to say Sam, I am happy that you're happy."

"Thank you Mark."

Mark smiled. "Now why don't you really introduce me to the others you invited to your wedding?"

"Okay," Sam moved towards the living room with her brother trailing behind. "You may remember me talking about them before, but just to give you a refresh. Cassie is the orphaned daughter of an old friend, Janet, who died last year. Daniel is an archaeologist and linguist but I'll let him tell you about it if you don't mind your ear being talked off. Teal'c Murray is a liaison and combat specialist with the NORAD base and Jonas Quinn is a former cultural attaché of the base."


	43. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

**Backyard, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
July 2, 2005  
Afternoon**

The adults had gathered in the backyard of Jack's house some time ago. The kids in the house and the twins down for their nap, and Mark gratefully accepting a beer from his sister's fiancé as the man joined him at the picnic table. Mark had to agree with Sam's earlier remark about Daniel—Dr Jackson really—talking his ear off once he had mistakenly gotten the man going on languages; one of his own interests being the study of undeciphered scripts, like Linear A on Crete or the Indus script in India.

Not that what Daniel had to say wasn't interesting, but it was a little over his head once the man started talking about logographics, logophonetics, syllabics, consonantal alphabets, syllabic alphabets, segmental alphabets, boustrophedon, and more.

"Thank you," Mark muttered aside to Jack as Daniel and Jonas once again got involved in a spirited debate about some Latin derivative—or was Latin a derivative of it?—he forgot which, or never had it clear in the first place.

"You're welcome." Jack said wryly as he gestured at the two men arguing so passionately a few feet from them. "You looked like you could use a rescue."

"Are they always like this?"

Jack considered the question as Mark took a drink of his beer. "Well, they didn't really work together as Jonas was on base when Daniel had… taken a year leave. But yeah, they were both like this in the field. Too enthused about some dead words."

"You're not a bit interested?" Mark inquired.

Jack lifted his shoulders in a shrug. In life, maybe a little bit, that he would never admit to anyone. Least of all with Daniel a few feet away. But in the field? No way. Not a chance.

"So, Sam's mentioned a few times that you transferred just a few months ago. But she didn't actually say what you do?"

"A department of Homeland Security," Jack lied. Well technically, DHS—which comprised of all military and civilian agencies involved in national security—was one of **his** departments that was thankfully managed fully by another group. As far as the public and most of the planet was concerned the department's overarching authority, Home**world** Security did not exist. So when talking with those without clearance they fudged the truth and said HWS was one of DHS departments.

"Ah…" Mark knew better to ask more questions after a response like that. He was not a military brat for nothing. He gestured to the people in the backyard. "Is this it—people and place—for the ceremony tomorrow?"

"Basically," Jack said with a nod, "Hammond and the Justice of Peace will be joining us and that's it."

"That's all? Notice too short?"

Jack lifted his shoulders in another shrug. The small guest numbers was a combination of short notice and no one they had really consider close enough to invite.

Mark did not pursue the question when he saw Jack's reluctance to answer.

"Uncle Jack," Cassie bounded out of the house and over to the small group of men gathered around the picnic table. "Sam wants your help with the twins."

"They're awake?" Jack turned from his floundering conversation with Mark.

The redheaded young woman nodded. "Less than two minutes ago."

"Thanks Cass," Jack said affectionately as he headed towards the house.

"You're welcome," Cassie called after his retreating back before plopping down on the picnic table beside Mark.

"Are Ryan and Amy done with the Wii?" Mark inquired.

Cassie shook her head. "I decided that after they whomped me at bowling for the third time, the two can fight out the championship game themselves." Cassie folded her arms on top the picnic table and leaned against them and looked at him with a crafty look on her face. "So, you're Sam's brother."

"Yes…" Mark said cautiously.

"And brothers are supposed to know all sorts of interesting stories about their sisters…"

Mark relaxed and half-grinned with amusement as he realised where the young woman was attempting to lead their conversation. "Right."

"So?" Cassie said happily as she leaned in. "Do tell."

Chuckling Mark decided to oblige and launched into a story about his sister and her attempts to fix the hallway clock, never realising that it did not keep time because as soon as she had fix it, he would set it to the wrong time again. And what happened when she had caught onto what he had been doing and fixed all the clocks in his room to a different time and nothing but begging and bribery had had her set them right again.

. . .

Tyler on her hip Sam descended the staircase to the main floor. At the bottom step, she set her son down and he was only too happy to scamper into the living room after catching sight of his new best friend, her nephew Ryan.

Emily's shrieks of glee had her turning her head around to see Jack finish lowering his daughter by her ankles to the floor. The voices in the living room soon distracted the brown-eyed little girl and she followed in her brother's footsteps, which left them alone for the moment.

Sam shook her head at Jack as he came up behind her. "I don't know why she likes that so much," Sam remarked as she turned back to watching the children.

Giving a shrug, Jack stepped up behind and wrapped his arms around her waist. Sam linked her hands with his and folded her arms over his as she snuggled back against his chest.

"I don't think she's so strange from her mother," Jack remarked softly into her ear. "What with her love of crazy flying."

Sam snorted and elbowed him in the ribs gently. "I'm not the only crazy flyer in this family."

Jack's chuckle was a rumble against her back before he spoke, the change of topic clear in his tone of voice. "Sorry if I interrupted you and Mark in the kitchen earlier. But they were insistent on getting their apple juice."

"No, it's okay," Sam said with a shake of her head as she gave his hands linked around her waist a reassuring squeeze. "Well I don't think everything is done with, but we did definitely clear the air."

"That's good."

"Yes. And Jack, about what I heard with Daniel…"

"Shh," Jack sensually nuzzled her neck. "We'll talk about it more later but know this Sam, I do love you and believe you love me. It's just taken me a bit to trust my belief again."

Sam melted back more against Jack, her emotions aglow with the reassurance from him. She was content where she was, feeling his chest rise and fall against her back, as they stood in front of the staircase and watched the twelve, ten, and two-year-olds playing in the living room.

This had not been something she had expected with Jack. Wanted, but not expected. The easy physical touching—it was something she knew neither one of them would be able to do in public—but in the privacy of what was to be their home they had fallen into it very easily. Both of them craving the comfort and reassuring nature of just being able to reach out and touch the other person whenever they wanted to, after years of not being able to touch even in friendship.

. . .

The two Carter men who had been about to enter the house stopped outside the glass doors on the patio. They had a clear side view of the two affianced people wrapped back to chest in a touching embrace as they obviously watched something beyond the men's line of sight.

Mark felt more of his reservations melt away. He had been truthful to Sam in the kitchen with their discussion, but he had not really felt comfortable about the relationship between his sister and the much older man. But now, seeing them as this… he had never seen Sam like that with Pete.

Seeing them standing like that reminded both men of doing the same thing with their own wives. And neither could any longer say even in the privacy of their own minds that this relationship would not really, truly, make Sam happy.


	44. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

**Backyard, O'Neill's Residence, Alexandria, VA  
July 4, 2005  
Afternoon**

Returning from the bathroom, Sam rescued her wedding bouquet from the curious fingers of two toddlers and looped the bunch of flowers around her wrist before herding them back to join the after wedding barbeque in the backyard. The hem of her simple strapless gown with its empress waist just brushed the cropped grass beneath her sandaled feet. The dress was a different creation altogether than the traditional gown with full skirt, sleeves, train, and bodice heavy with embroidery and crystal that she had chosen to marry Pete in.

Coming up beside her new husband splendidly dressed in a suit she stepped close to his left side. Pleased when Jack automatically tangled his fingers with her right hand as it brushed against his side even as he continued his conversation with her father and Hammond about the old types of aircraft they had flown in their service.

It had surprised her to learn that Jack hadn't just been pulled from being a pilot because of his natural stealth and deception abilities into special ops, but when serving as a test-pilot at NTTR—or as it was called then NAFR for Nellis Air Force Range—it had been discovered that he was blue-yellow colour blind.

There was a lull in the conversation and Jack turned to her. His free hand reached for her left hand that the bouquet was looped around. "Rescued your flowers did you?"

"Yes and how exactly did they get them? I set them on the middle of the picnic table."

Jack shrugged as he let go of her left wrist. "They climb everything Sam, you know that."

Sam had to concede that. "So, when you saw they had them, why didn't you rescue them?"

"Who?" Jack teased. "The twins or the flowers?"

"Jack," she drawled his name out.

"Okay, okay, I saw they had them at the same time you came back from the bathroom. And, because you were closer, I let you do the rescuing."

Still slightly exasperated Sam accepted that reasoning and let the three men resume the conversation. Joining in when she could about certain models and general flight aerodynamics and engineering.

The wedding had been simple and non-traditional in many respects, with only Amy fulfilling a traditional role as flower girl—Sam hadn't had the heart to deny her niece—and everyone else acting as witness. However, only the bride and groom had been aware that two other alien witnesses were observing the ceremony in orbit. The toddlers had frolicked in and out of the group of people and even joined their parents in front of the Justice of Peace on two occasions.

It was not what Sam had ever imagined her wedding to be like as a child, but she could not picture a different ceremony that was more true to them as Jack and she pledged themselves to each other.

The only thing that they had really spent money on had been the cake. A true, three-tiered wedding cake of chocolate with mocha buttercream and vanilla frosting whimsically topped by two action figures from _Wormhole X-Treme_ that Cassie had swapped with the traditional bride and groom topper when no one had been looking. During the wedding brunch after the ceremony, the first tier had been quickly demolished and they had made serious inroads into the second tier.

Sam knew she had not been the only one giving the figurines a closer examination as the uniformed officers bore more a resemblance to herself and Jack then their _X-Treme_ counterparts of Colonel Danning and Major Monroe. She had even overhead Jack pointedly asking the alien refugee if she didn't have some sort of contact with Martin Lloyd or Jean St. Jean Studios. And why Jack knew the name of the company that produced the action figures she was not sure she wanted to know.

As the conversation between the three generals turned from aircrafts to more 'general' matters, like odd requisition forms and other paper snafus, Sam squeezed Jack's hand before untangling their fingers. Leaving the retired three- and two-star with the still active two-star she made her way to another group in the backyard, her brother and Daniel who she discovered upon her approach were talking once again about recent archaeological discoveries around the planet.

They were currently discussing a recent issue of _Archaeology_ magazine that highlighted the discoveries at Tanis in the 1930s and 1940s that were just as, if not more spectacular, than the discovery of Tutankhamun in 1970s—three intact royal tombs with gold and jewels that could hold their own against Tutankhuamun's treasures.

Leaving them to their discussion as Daniel had actually seen the artefacts on display at the Cairo museum and was able to tell Mark more about the Tanis treasures, Sam moved to the group composed of Jonas, Laura, and Ryan. It sounded like Jonas had managed to draw out her taciturn nephew by talking about something he loved: cinematography. Laura exchanged smiles with her over the two's clear enthusiasm, Jonas over learning something new and Ryan about being able to tell someone about his passion.

Taking the smile as a hint to move on she made her way towards the picnic table where Teal'c was seated on the bench, supervising Cassie in a flower-print summer dress and the twins in the sandbox. Taking a seat beside the Jaffa, Sam joined him in watching the three play in the sand; Cassie crafting sandcastles with the buckets and Tyler and Emily cheerfully stomping whatever she made to bits.

"I would like to thank you ColonelCarter for inviting me to your nuptial ceremony," Teal'c rumbled after they had watched three castles being built and then destroyed.

Sam reached out and squeezed his dark forearm that rested on the top of the table. "I couldn't imagine you not being here Teal'c." It was the truth. While in many ways Daniel was a best friend, it was Teal'c that had been her confident while they had been the flagship team. His quiet and regal bearing a balm to her nerves many a time when she'd been driven to extremes, during Daniel's ascension, Jack's stints MIA, Janet's death, and many other times of crisis at SGC.

Teal'c inclined his head at her words, his own large hand coming up to cover hers where it rested on his forearm. "Be as that may, I would like to again express my felicitations upon your joining with O'Neill."

"Thank you," Sam said simply, her thoughts turning inward as she thought over the past few years, the past few months in particular. "I didn't think it would ever happen."

Teal'c did not know if he had truly entertained such thoughts himself about the matter, but elected it was wisest to remain silent about his thoughts. "But it has, and it is wisest to keep ones thoughts in the here and now. Not in the past with regrets that could weigh the happiness of the now down with unneeded sorrow."

"You're right Teal'c, as usual," Sam remarked as she flexed her left hand to look considerately at the thicker, but still silver wedding band that had joined her thin engagement ring hours ago. Circles of metal that matched the rings that adorned her husband's hand and promised so much, love and commitment through the good and rough times as they lived their lives together.

"This is the first day of our lives together," she gave a brilliant and yet soft smile as she looked from the rings to the two children in the sandbox. "And whatever life brings, we'll face it. Together."


	45. Chapter 44

**WARNING**: Graphic Sex

* * *

**Chapter 44**

**Hotel Monaco Alexandria, Alexandria, VA  
July 4, 2005  
Evening**

Feeling the reassuring weight of Jack's hand in the small of her back, Sam allowed the warm touch to guide her from the Hotel Monaco Alexandria's opulent lobby up to their honeymoon suite for the night. Both of them were nervous about being parted from Emily and Tyler, especially Jack who had never been away from them, except for their kidnapping, since they had come into his care. But they were also determined to take some time for themselves to celebrate their wedding with more than just an intimate gathering of family and friends in the backyard of their now shared Alexandrian home.

That determination had led them to renting a Terrance Room in the luxury boutique hotel in Old Town Alexandria for their wedding night. Their children left in the care of Cassie—with Jacob, Daniel, Teal'c, and Jonas present—for the night and into the early morning.

Reaching their room on the third floor Sam disengaged the lock and entered the room. She was pleased to find that the strong vivid blue of the lobby walls was not carried over into the room's interior decoration. The centerpiece of the brown walled room with white accents was the king-sized bed with its elaborate headboard and decorations, pristine white sheets and eight pillows.

Moving into the room, Sam set her overnight bag onto one of the twin ottomans in front of the bed and moved the silver tea tray from its posed place, resting on the red counterpane folded at the foot of the bed, to the desk.

Jack placed his own bag on the other ottoman after examining the bathroom and its luxurious tub. As his new wife investigated the terrace, Jack unzipped his bag and drew out the elegant black folder that he had concealed in the bottom. Kicking off his shoes and removing his socks, he took the folder in hand and followed Sam onto the balcony.

Sam half turned to Jack as he stepped through the glass doors and his breath caught once again at the sight of her against the railing. Still gowned in her wedding dress she presented a picture that was both alluring and demure at the same time.

A small smile curved Sam's lips at the arrested expression on her new husband's face as he momentarily paused in the doorway between the hotel room and balcony. Her smile seemed to release him from whatever had held him spellbound and he moved forward to stand beside her. For a long, quiet moment they stood side by side, absorbing the warm evening air and the presence of each other.

In time Jack turned to Sam and offered her the folder he had carried onto the terrace with him.

Sam accepted the folder curiously, "What is it?"

"Emily and Tyler's papers," Jack said softly.

Sam's hands froze in the motion of opening the folder as her eyes jerked up to look into his, her voice trembling as she spoke: "You mean?"

"Yes, Sam," Jack reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It's their adoption papers. It's been finalised. You're their mother."

Sam blinked rapidly in order to hold back the tears that suddenly threatened which turned her eyes a luminous blue. "J-Jack," her voice wobbled even more, choked with emotion as she took half a step towards him her gaze dropping to his chest as she attempted to control her emotions.

The hand that had lingered at her ear traced the curve of her jaw and tipped her chin more upwards. Once their gazes were once more connected, Jack spoke again. "There's more Sam, I want you to have a look."

Blinking again even as her urge to cry faded, Sam opened the folder and looked with puzzlement at the cream coloured sheet on top. The writing that marked the page was not English, but the angular lines and dashes of Asgärd.

"I know you can't read it," Jack spoke again as his hand dropped away from her chin. "But it's a promise that I made with the Asgärds, about the twins, to you. If something ever happens to us, or to me, and you need to tell someone… the Asgärd will come and they will put the full force of their council's protection behind the twins."

Sam's hands trembled. "You mean it?"

"Yes." Jack said. "We can't let anyone know. But, if I—or both of us—die then I want to make sure that the children end up with people we trust. And if that unthinkable happens, and they think there is a need, only then will the Asgärd reveal the children's origins."

"Thank you," Sam said hoarsely. Almost beyond words that Jack had, even with his terror about letting anyone know about the children, secured this safety net for her. As much as she still wished to tell those closest to them, knowing this lightened the burden that concealing the truth lay upon her.

A truth that she was aiding him in concealing by her silence and arranging the accident at DET 3 that led to the erasure of the genome codes on the Goa'uld tablets and all her private work of her investigation, which fortunately had been done on Oceanus's machines so there was no trail on any computers. The translation of the data she had requested from SGC did still exist but some deft altering of the Goa'uld data meant that was no longer an issue. By altering only the Goa'uld data anyone looking at it later would assume a simple translation error in the English documents. And it was standard protocol of the linguistic department to shred any hardcopies of computerised data within days of submitting a translation.

As far everyone was concerned, Emily and Tyler were Jack's adopted niece and nephew and if they were ever tested for the ATA gene, that they registered positive would almost be a given because of their O'Neill genetics and the strength of the gene easily theorised as a maternal trait. ATA gene testing after all was an entirely different process than determining parentage.

Closing the folder back up, she transferred the papers to one hand and took the remaining half step to press her body against Jack. Her hands lifted up and around his shoulders to curve around his neck as she raised her lips to his.

The kiss started out soft and gentle as Sam expressed her gratitude and love. But as their bodies pressed together and mouths mated, the passion that lurked so close to the surface turned the gentle expression of gratitude into a fierce expression of desire.

Not breaking the contact of their mouths, Sam rocked forward and gradually shuffled them back through the balcony door into the hotel room. Crossing the threshold, they broke apart. Jack shrugging out of his suit jacket and Sam drawing the terrace curtains closed.

Coming together again, Sam pulled the hem of Jack's shirt from his pants and slipped her hands under the fabric. Revelling in the feel of the skin beneath her fingers, Sam's hands curved around Jack's waist, over his back, and down into his pants to cup the bare skin of his butt.

The muscles in her hands flexed reflexively as her fingers moulded and kneaded his flesh and Jack pressed closer. His own hands occupied, running over her sides and down her back, his fingers questing for a zipper. His touch left burning tendrils of pleasure in its wake. Not finding a zipper he discarded that angle of attack and simply slid his hands down her legs and hiked up her skirt.

"God bless garters," Jack muttered against her mouth as his hands discovered the lace decorating the top of her thighs and exploring the skin between them and the almost non-existent thong she wore.

Sam's lips smiled against his mouth at his words as she gave his butt one last squeeze before heading for the front of his slacks. Reaching her goal, she slipped the button free and undid the zipper. Hooking her thumbs into the waistband of both his slacks and boxers, she pushed the fabric down.

Jack took half a step back to aid his wife in his disrobing, his own hands reluctantly leaving the exploration of her rear and inner thighs to help push the clothes from his hips. As the slacks and boxers hit the floor, Jack reached for her again.

Sam swatted his hands away and commanded, "Your shirt Jack."

Obediently his hands rose to undo the row of buttons on his shirt. His eyes glued to Sam's actions as she located the dress's zipper discreetly tucked under her left arm and slid the tab down. Jack's shirt hit the floor at the same time as Sam's dress.

Jack swore he nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of Sam in her stiletto sandals, garter, barely there thong, pearls in her ears and his rings on her finger. If he had known that she'd been bra-less the entire day, he didn't think he could have restrained himself until they had reached the hotel.

Smiling brilliantly Sam stepped forward and pressed her ring hand to the centre of Jack's chest. She pushed him backwards until the back of his knees met the edge of the bed behind him. Once contact was made Sam pushed harder on his chest so that he sat on the mattress.

Once he was seated, Sam hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her thong only for her hands to be stilled by Jack's as he reached out. Their eyes locked for a moment before Sam acquitted, and both their hands pushed her thong down her hips and past her thighs to join the clothes on the floor.

The last obstacle removed, Sam climbed onto the bed and moved to straddled Jack who was still sitting. Before she started to spread her knees and sink down onto him, Jack's hands that were still on her thighs tightened and held her up, suspended above him.

"Jack?" Sam was confused by him stopping her. "What are…?" her question turned to a deep moan of pleasure as he brought his face to her groin and his tongue licked out. Sam's hands flew to the top of his head and buried themselves in his grey hair as she struggled for equilibrium. Sensation speared through her as his mouth began to work the bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. "Jack!"

A rumble of pleasure deep from Jack's chest was her answer. As the pleasure built and tightened, her hips began to rock against his face and it was only when her thighs began to tremble strongly in his hands that Jack gave one last reluctant suck and lifted his mouth away.

"Down," Jack muttered as his hands changed from holding her up to pressing her down. Eagerly Sam finished what she had started, lowering her body until her wet curls teased the swollen head of his erection.

Pausing to sway teasingly against him, Sam's hands released his hair to reach for his hands on her hips. Grasping his hands Sam tangled their fingers together; ring chiming against ring heard more in their hearts than over their laboured breathing. Hands linked together Sam finished her descent, Jack spearing up into her body in a delicious caress that shredded their control.

Mindless to the sensation and need for completion Sam rose and fell as Jack rolled his hips upwards, pushing themselves to the end. When Sam added a twist to her downward thrust, passion reached its crest and sent their souls flying together.


	46. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

**Terrance Room,** **Hotel Monaco Alexandria, Alexandria, VA  
July 4, 2005  
Night**

The sounds of the city were quiet outside the balcony doors as inside glass clinked against ice as a wine bottle was placed back into the bucket of ice. In a hotel robe and fresh from a shared, relaxing bath, Jack carried the two wineglasses to the bed where Sam, clad in a similar robe, was finishing towelling off her hair.

Tossing the towel onto the ottoman with her overnight bag, Sam accepted the flute with a glowing smile. As she sipped the beverage Jack joined her on the mattress, taking a few swallows of his own wineglass.

When her glass was nearly empty Sam set it onto the nearest side table and snuggled up against her husband's side. Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close as they basked in the aftermath of their lovemaking, bodies humming with energy and yet full of contentment.

By the time Jack finished his glass of wine and set it aside, Sam's ring hand had settled over his heart as she rested her head against his shoulder. Once his hand was free, Jack picked the hand over his heart up and brought it to his mouth. He lightly brushed his lips over the silver bands—thin engagement and thicker wedding ring now linked together—before lacing their fingers together and placing their linked hands back onto his chest.

The matching silver bands on their hands glimmered softly in the ambient light of the room.

"Thank you," Sam spoke softly, disturbing the contented silence between them.

"For what?" Jack rumbled lowly.

"For always." Sam answered sincerely.

"Always," Jack reassured as he used the arm around her shoulders to give her a comforting squeeze.

Sam smiled quietly at his answer. As the peace and quiet between them returned, her eyes gradually slid closed and she slipped into sleep. Jack felt the change in the body lying against his and after he was confident she would remain asleep if he moved about, he removed their robes then reached down to the foot of the bed and drew the folded back covers over them.

Tucking the covers around them Jack pressed his lips to her forehead and voiced again the promise that had become an unbreakable and solemn vow between them: "Always."

Then he reached over his head for the light and turning it off joined his wife in sleep.

. . .

Late the next morning Jack pulled into their driveway. He hit the dashboard remote for the garage door and parked the vehicle once the heavy door had risen. The two newlyweds snagged their overnight bags from the seats behind them and exited the garage and climbed the stairs to their front door.

As Jack reached for the doorknob the panel swung open to reveal the eternally cheerful face of Jonas.

"General, Sam," the Langaran greeted enthusiastically. "Welcome back."

"Thank you Jonas," Jack stepped into his house and began removing his footwear. "Have the twins been good?"

"They've been excellent," Cassie's head popped from the kitchen into the hallway. "I was just making them a cheese and cracker snack to take out to them at the pool."

"Pool?" Sam kicked off her shoes.

"Wading pool," Jack explained. "I had stored it in the garage during the Kinsey fiasco and was going to bring it out again soon."

"Ah," Sam responded as they began making their way down the hallway.

"Sam," Jones directed his next remark to her, "Mark phoned earlier to let everyone know that he and his family are safely back in San Diego."

"Thanks for passing it on Jonas," Sam replied as she and Jack reached the foot of the staircase.

When both newlyweds hesitated at the staircase to the second floor and looked towards the backyard Jonas sensed what was going on and offered, "Why don't I take your bags to your room? I know Tyler and Emily want to see you."

Both parents eagerly turned the bags over to the alien and headed for the backyard.

"Smooth," Cassie remarked aside to Jonas she passed him with her plate of snacks and drink boxes.

Jonas's customary smile turned somewhat into a smirk as he acknowledged the Hankian alien's compliment and then headed up the staircase to the master bedroom with the luggage.

Outside the happy children's voices turned into shrieks of glee when they caught sight of their parents emerging onto the patio. The two toddlers scrambled from the wading pool and barrelled across the grass, hardly knowing who to greet first when they reached Jack and Sam.

Turning the reunion into a four-way hug full of kisses seemed to solve the dilemma best. As Cassie stepped off the patio and rounded the family she pointed with her chin at the digital camera on the picnic table and then jerked her head at the four.

Teal'c interpreted her mimed order correctly and picking up the camera began to take pictures.

"Thanks Teal'c," Cassie placed the plate she was carrying onto the picnic table upon reaching it. "Could you also try to get some of just Sam and the twins? I notice that there are a lot of Jack and the twins, but not many of Sam yet."

The Jaffa took a moment to nod in her direction before returning to his photographing.

Cassie straddled the bench and was soon joined by Daniel and Jacob, who in anticipation of Jack and Sam joining the twins at their watery playground once done chatting, gave up their places in the two lawn chairs set up beside the wading pool.

"I'm going to have to make sure I get some of those pictures myself before I go to Atlantis with the Expedition," Daniel remarked upon seating himself.

"I would like some as well," Jonas said as he joined them.

Jacob was thinking the same thing himself, although he would probably need half a dozen. For someone whose culture and previous hosts' cultures did not have photographs as Earth did, Selmak was overly fond of those four by six pieces of paper—fond especially of showing off by giving the picture away.

But pride in children and grandchildren were pretty much universal so that might have something to do with it. Everyone loved to brag about family.

"Sure," Cassie said as the camera in question was hers. "I'll get copies to everyone—along with the wedding pictures, as Laura's already going to be sending the pictures she took to me."

"Thank you Cassandra," Selmak said. "Might you also be able to make a dozen duplicates of the very best ones for Jacob and myself?"

"Sure," Cassie reassured the Tok'ra with a wicked smile. "If we can't get them printed off before you go back, I'll blackmail Uncle Jack or Sam into delivering them."

The snorts of laughter that remark invoked had the two future potential blackmail victims looking for a moment at the group at the picnic table before their attention returned to the splashing twins. Sam shifted her chair closer to Jack and placed her hand on top of his where it was resting on the armrest.

Jack turned his hand over under hers and laced their fingers together. Both settled into their seats to enjoy the warm and sunny day and the emotional contentment that came from being with their family and closest friends. While SG-1 as it had been was no longer, they were still all friends and were still together in the ways that mattered.

There would be trials ahead for the newlyweds; the first one looming was Sam's impending return to DET 3 and discovering how to balance the personal and the professional especially considering their old relationship. For now they enjoyed what they had and would face and overcome each ordeal as it presented itself. And even with the promise of future hardship, the faces of the twins and their love for each other promised greater moments of happiness.

Come what may, they would face it as they were meant to—together.

-FINISHED

* * *

**Jack's Secret Life **by** SJ Shipper Forever**

Summary: The Asgard contact Jack when they discover that Loki and friends have created two children from Jack and Sam's DNA who are ready to be born (or whatever). Jack remembers his conversation with Sam during 8.07 "_Affinity_" about kids and mistakenly thinks she doesn't want kids ever. So he accepts the Homeworld Security job and moves to Washington to take the kids never telling anyone and distancing himself from his friends. Then Sam and the kids are kidnapped by their enemies and the truth comes out. Take it from there but I want this to lead to a happy ending for the family.

Categories: Romance Characters: Jack O'Neill


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